LOST: Paige's Story
by Melissa Mendelson
Summary: Brought to the island through a helicopter crash, Paige will have no choice but to discover what fate has in store for her there.
1. Chapter 1

LOST – DISCOVERY 

By, Melissa JUNGLE

Jack walks alone through the island's wilderness. He senses someone behind him. Turning around, he sees Kate watching him.

KATE

Jack, we need to talk.

JACK

I came out here to be alone, Kate. I don't want to talk to you. I just want to be left alone for a little while.

Locke walks out of the wilderness toward them.

LOCKE

Jack, we need to talk.

JACK

Locke, you're the other person that I really can't speak to right now.

LOCKE

It's important.

JACK

Look, I just want to have some time to myself, okay? Now, unless something else happens, leave me alone, the both of you.

Suddenly, a huge explosion is heard. A cloud of fire and ash rises up in the distance. The ground shakes from the impact.

Jack, Locke, and Kate look at each other.

A few minutes later, they are all racing through the island's wilderness toward the site of the explosion.

Jack nearly falls over the jagged edge of a cliff when Locke grabs him by the arm to stop him from falling. Jack looks at Locke. He watches Locke's eyes move toward the crash.

Turning to look at what caused the huge explosion, Jack sees a helicopter burning on the shore below the cliff. Two bodies were thrown from the impact onto each other on the shore near the crash. A shard from the helicopter's blades is sticking up out of them.

JACK

Kate, run back to camp and grab all of my medical supplies. Get help also.

Without a moment of hesitation, Kate vanishes into the wilderness.

JACK (CONTINUES)

It's just you and me, Locke.

They look at each other before carefully making their way down the Cliffside toward the crash.

EXT. SITE OF THE CRASH

A man rests on top of a young woman. A shard from the helicopter's blades had sliced through the man's back and into the left side of the woman.

Jack kneels beside them. He checks both of their pulses. He slips his hand under the left side of the woman to see if the blade had completely sliced through her. He doesn't feel the blade and doesn't see blood on his hand when he looks at it.

He starts to examine the blade in the man's back when the MAN comes to and grabs Jack's hand.

MAN

Save her. You need to save her.

JACK

It's okay. It's okay. Just let me check your wound.

The man's grip tightens on Jack's wrist.

MAN

You don't understand. You will need her. She is more important than I am.

Jack looks at him.

MAN (CONTINUES)

Tell her… Tell her… I forgive her.

He dies.

Jack and Locke look at each other. They turn to look at the unconscious young woman lying underneath the man.

INT. BEDROOM

The young woman abruptly wakes up. She draws the covers up to her chin and tries not to cry. She turns to see her black cat looking at her.

PAIGE GAMMON slowly gets out of bed. She holds her head in her hands for a few minutes. Smiling, she sees her cat rub against her back.

PAIGE

I'm okay, kitty. It was just THAT nightmare again.

Suddenly, the phone rings.

Startled, Paige remains sitting on her bed as her answering machine takes the call.

It was her fiancée MICHAEL JENNINGS.

MICHAEL

Hey, I thought you would be up. I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow. Seven a.m., okay? Remember. No backing out this time. We're taking that helicopter ride. We need to do this just like we talked about. Listen, I'll try you later, but don't be nervous. Everything will be okay.

PAIGE

Everything will be okay.

Paige frowns as her cat looks up at her.

EXT. THE ISLAND

Jack and Locke get ready to remove the blade from Paige. Kate approaches with the medical supplies and a few people to help them including Sawyer.

JACK

Okay, John, when I say NOW, pull the guy off of her.

Jack takes off his shirt and rolls it up into a ball. He leans close to Paige, ready to place the shirt on her wound.

JACK (CONTINUES)

NOW!

Locke pulls Michael off of Paige and places him on the shore next to her.

Blood spurts up from Paige's wound as the blade is pulled out. Jack pushes his shirt against her wound as more blood comes out.

JACK (CONTINUES)

Kate! I need those medical supplies. Now!

LOCKE

Jack.

Jack turns to look at him. He follows his gaze over to Paige's right arm to see a long, red scar from her wrist to her elbow. He looks back at Locke, who nods at him.

INT. BREAK ROOM

Paige traces the scar from her wrist down to her elbow. She doesn't realize that another associate had entered the store's break room.

ASSOCIATE

Wow. That's an angry looking scar.

Paige rolls her blouse sleeve back down to cover it up.

ASSOCIATE (CONTINUES)

Did you do that?

Paige looks away.

ASSOCIATE (CONTINUES)

Hey, I won't tell anyone. Did you do that?

The associate pulls up a chair beside Paige.

PAIGE

A long time ago when I was… Depressed.

She looks at the associate.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

But I'm better now.

A MANAGER enters the break room.

MANAGER

Paige, hurry up. I need you back on the floor.

Paige stares at her manager.

EXT. THE ISLAND

Jack carries Paige back to camp. Locke, Kate, and everyone else follow him.

A folded brown envelope slips out of Paige's pants' pocket.

Sawyer spots it and slips it in his pants' pocket

Kate notices that Sawyer had stopped walking.

KATE

What are you doing?

SAWYER

What's it to you, freckles? I just needed a moment. Is that okay?

KATE

Whatever, Sawyer.

She resumes walking.

Sawyer grins as he looks down at his pocket.

INT. CAMP

Locke makes room for Jack to lie Paige down on some covers.

LOCKE

You think she will wake up?

Jack looks down at her.

JACK

I don't know. I don't know anything, Locke except that she was very lucky that the wound wasn't fatal.

LOCKE

Somebody should watch her. Just in case she does wake up.

Locke's eyes remain on her scar.

Following his gaze, Jack nods.

Charlie suddenly appears beside them.

CHARLIE

I'll take the first watch.

JACK

Okay. I'll take the second.

Jack starts to walk away.

Locke follows him.

LOCKE

Jack, we do need to talk.

JACK

Okay, Locke, let's talk, but not here.

He looks over at Paige who remains unconscious.

INT. PAIGE'S APARTMENT

Paige sits on her bed, watching the news.

REPORTER

Despite the fact that authorities have given up the search for the site of the possible crash of Flight ? and any survivors, family members and friends continue to hope that someone will come forward with some information that will start the search again. Anyone that has any idea of what could have happened to Flight ? and its passengers is urged to come forward. Family members and friends still continue to gather together in hopes of their loved ones being returned back to them.

Paige looks down at her notepad and pen. She presses mute on her remote and starts to write.

Her cat watches her from nearby.

INT. CAMP

Charlie falls asleep when he is supposed to watch Paige.

Slowly opening her eyes, Paige winces in pain. She looks down at the bandaged patch on the left side of her stomach. She glances at her scar to see that someone had put some ointment on it.

Turning her attention toward Charlie, she sees that he had fallen asleep.

Slowly moving off her bed, which was made up of several blankets, she looks around. She doesn't see anyone. Quietly, she makes her way into the jungle and disappears.

INT. CAMP – A LITTLE WHILE LATER

Jack is shaking Charlie awake.

JACK

Charlie! Charlie!

Charlie looks up at Jack and then at the empty space with the several blankets.

CHARLIE

Where's the girl?

JACK

You tell me, Charlie. You fell asleep.

Charlie looks away before turning to look back at Jack.

CHARLIE

I'm sorry, Jack.

Jack stands up away from him and sighs.

JACK

So am I, Charlie.

He hurries away from him.

CHARLIE

Wait. I'll help you look for her.

Jack doesn't respond.

Charlie runs to catch up with him.

EXT. WILDERNESS – DAY

Jack, Locke, Charlie, and Kate make their way back to the crash site.

JACK

Locke, are you sure that she would return to the crash site?

LOCKE

Trust me, Jack. She's there.

CHARLIE

How do you know that?

LOCKE

I think this island wanted her here.

JACK

Let's not start this again.

Kate looks at Locke as she passes him, and he returns her look.

EXT. CRASH SITE

Paige sits on the shore next to Michael's body.

PAIGE

I'm sorry, Michael. You should have listened to me.

EXT. AIR STRIP

The pilot of the helicopter patiently waits with Michael for Paige to arrive.

PILOT

Are you sure about this?

MICHAEL

Absolutely.

PILOT

Your father won't be happy that you're taking the company's helicopter for a joyride. He especially won't be happy because you will be with her.

MICHAEL

I know. I'm fully aware of how he is going to react.

PILOT

Then, why do this?

MICHAEL

I'm trying to teach her not to be so afraid of taking chances. Besides, I thought this would be the perfect way to propose to her.

PILOT

You really do love, don't you?

MICHAEL

Yes. If she loves me as much as I love her, she will show up and get on this helicopter.

PILOT

If she doesn't show up?

MICHAEL

Then, it's over between us. At least, my father will be happy about that.

Just then, Paige is seen walking toward them and the waiting helicopter. Her eyes remain on the helicopter. She only looks at Michael when she is standing right in front of him.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Are you ready?

PAIGE

Is this what you want?

MICHAEL

What do you mean?

PAIGE

Is this what you WANT? For me to get on this helicopter?

MICHAEL

Yes. We're only going to be gone for a few hours or so, and then who knows? Maybe we'll see what Destiny has in store for us.

PAIGE

That's one way of looking at it.

Michael looks at her as the pilot opens the back door for them. He hops in, but Paige remains standing outside.

MICHAEL

Paige, you can't be afraid anymore. You have to do this. I can't be with anyone that is afraid to live their life. You have to decide either to remain where you are or to go forward. Which one will it be?

PAIGE

And will you stay with me if I don't get on this helicopter?

Michael looks away.

PAIGE

You are the only one, Michael that I ever allowed to get close to me. I love you.

Michael looks at her.

MICHAEL

I love you too, Paige.

The pilot stares at Paige before glancing at his watch.

PAIGE

Remember that when it happens.

She gets into the helicopter.

MICHAEL

When what happens?

Paige doesn't respond as the pilot slams the door closed.

EXT. CRASH SITE

Jack and Locke stare at each other after spotting Paige sitting beside Michael's body. Locke nods at Jack, who slowly walks toward her, while he gestures for everyone else to wait where they are.

Jack approaches Paige. He sits down next to her and glances at Michael's body who is on the other side of her.

JACK

He sacrificed himself for us to save you.

Paige continues to stare at the now burnt helicopter in front of her.

JACK

He wanted me to tell you that he forgave you.

Paige closes her eyes. She tries not to cry.

Jack is about to put his arm around her, but she pushes him away.

PAIGE

Please don't touch me.

Jack lowers his arm as he looks at her.

JACK

You're not alone here. I and the others over there are survivors of Flight…

PAIGE

I know who you all are.

Jack stares at her.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

And hopefully I saved you.

She reaches into her pockets but cannot find the envelope.

JACK

What are you looking for?

Paige starts to cry.

PAIGE

I just hope they got the other ones.

JACK

Other what?

Paige doesn't respond as she wipes her eyes.

JACK

Other what?

PAIGE

Letters telling the media that you survived the plane crash. Telling them that my crash will be on the same island as yours.

Jack stares at her in shock.

INT. CAMP

Sawyer reads the letter that was in the envelope. He looks up from it before reading it again.

A few minutes later, he shakes his head and folds the letter back into his pocket. He crumples the envelope up in his hands.

END.


	2. Chapter 2

Angry Scars 

By, Melissa EMERGENCY ROOM

Jack rushes into the ER as a gurney with a young girl is pushed past him. He sees blood flow out of her right arm as other doctors and nurses gather around her. He sees a woman cover her mouth and lean against the wall outside the room.

DOCTOR

Jack, where's your father?

The doctor gives him a stern look.

JACK

He's with another patient, but I'm here. What do we have?

DOCTOR

Attempted suicide.

NURSE

I lost her pulse!

DOCTOR

Charge to a hundred.

He hands Jack the pads.

JACK

Clear. Clear!

He zaps the girl but then sees a flat line on the monitor nearby.

DOCTOR

Charge again! This time to two hundred.

JACK

Clear!

Still, a flat line.

DOCTOR

Starting CPR.

JACK

Hold on, Paige. Hold on!

EXT. THE ISLAND- CAMP

Jack rushes to his infirmary with Paige in his arms. Her right arm is sliced open, and blood is flowing from the gaping wound.

JACK

Hold on, Paige!

INT. INFIRMARY

A little while later, Jack is bandaging Paige's now stitched wound.

Paige has been quiet up to this point.

JACK

You scared the hell out of me. You're lucky that I walked by you when I did.

PAIGE

I didn't do it. I was asleep.

Jack looks at her.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

I never thanked you for saving my life that night. Thank you, Jack.

He finishes bandaging her arm.

Paige looks at her bandaged arm.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

After that night, I never tried that again. I actually had this idea of what to do with my life not what my parents wanted me to do with it. I was fine. For six years, I was fine.

JACK

Paige, how did you cut your arm?

Paige stares at him.

JACK (CONTINUES)

What did you use?

PAIGE

Jack, I didn't do this.

Paige gestures to her arm.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Someone else did.

JACK

Why would someone else do this?

Paige shakes her head.

JACK (CONTINUES)

Paige, you have been on this island for a few weeks now, and you have not opened up to anyone. You have been by yourself mostly, and starting now, that is going to change.

PAIGE

Are you getting me a babysitter, Jack?

She starts to laugh.

JACK

Yes. Until I find someone, you are not to leave my sight, understand?

Her smile fades.

PAIGE

You might be the self-appointed leader of everyone else here, but I do not have to do what you tell me to do.

She starts to walk away.

Jack grabs her by the arm.

JACK

Yes, you do.

PAIGE

Let go of my arm.

Sayid appears nearby.

SAYID

Jack, we need to talk.

Paige uses the opportunity to break free from Jack's grip and runs off.

Jack starts after her.

SAYID (CONTINUES)

Let her be. At least for now, let her be.

Jack looks at him.

EXT. THE ISLAND- BEACH

Paige sits on the sand and watches the waves roll by. She listens to the water gently hitting the shore. The sun beats down on her pale skin, but she doesn't mind. She feels safe where she is.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM

Paige's mother impatiently waits for Paige to get ready to leave.

PAIGE

I'm ready.

MOTHER

It's about time. Let's go.

PAIGE

Where's Dad?

MOTHER

Home.

She storms down the hallway as Paige trails behind her. She glances back once or twice to make sure her daughter is still following her.

They pass the nurses' station where a man screams at the nurses over a bill that he had received.

Suddenly, Paige walks into a young man, who has his right arm in a cast and a sling.

PAIGE

I'm sorry. Excuse me.

The young man glares at her but then smiles.

YOUNG MAN

It's my fault. I should have looked where I was going.

PAIGE

No, it's my fault.

MOTHER

Paige, let's go!

Paige looks over at her mother who was halfway down the hallway.

YOUNG MAN

I'm Michael Jennings.

He holds out his other hand to her, and she takes it.

PAIGE

Paige Gammon. I'm sorry, but I have to go.

Michael looks over at her mother.

Just then, the angry man slams his hands down on the counter and raises his voice a notch.

MAN

Do you know who I am? Do you have any idea who you are talking to? I want your supervisor down here right now!

MICHAEL

Parents.

He shakes his head as Paige looks at him.

MOTHER

Paige! Now!

Michael and Paige look at each other and start laughing.

PAIGE

Yeah. Parents.

She walks away.

MICHAEL

See you around.

Paige turns and waves briefly at him before running down the hallway to catch up with her mother.

EXT. THE ISLAND

Wearing only shorts, Sawyer walks out of the water and onto the beach. He pushes his blond hair back and looks around. He notices Paige nearby, staring out at the ocean.

SAWYER

Hi.

PAIGE

Hi.

SAWYER

Daydreaming?

PAIGE

Yeah.

Sawyer notices the bandage on her arm.

SAWYER

What happened?

Paige looks down at her arm and doesn't say anything.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

Mind if I sit?

Paige only nods.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

Listen, you can talk to me if you want. I'm all ears, so you don't have to keep it inside.

PAIGE

Not you too. Jack thinks that I am spending too much time alone.

SAWYER

He's right for a change. I've noticed that you try to avoid the rest of us.

PAIGE

I have nothing against anyone. I just like being alone.

SAWYER

I'm the same way, but sometimes, it doesn't hurt to open up to some people.

PAIGE

I have nothing to say.

SAWYER

I don't believe that.

He looks at her, and Paige returns his look.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

I think that there is something that you want to say. You just don't know how.

Paige looks down at her bandaged arm.

Sawyer follows her gaze.

Kate watches from nearby. Her eyes narrow as she stares at Paige.

Suddenly, Hurley appears behind her.

HURLEY

Whatcha doing?

KATE

Nothing.

Hurley looks over at Sawyer and Paige.

HURLEY

Are you watching them?

KATE

No.

HURLEY

I think you are.

KATE

Well, you're wrong.

She starts to walk away.

HURLEY

You're jealous.

KATE

Excuse me?

She turns to look at him.

HURLEY

You're jealous of Paige.

KATE

I am not.

HURLEY

Are to.

Kate shakes her head and starts to walk off.

KATE

I don't need this.

She walks away as Hurley turns to look at Sawyer and Paige.

INT. CAMP – NIGHT

Locke sits in front of a blazing fire. He eats food out of a bowl with his hands. He notices Paige sitting by another fire nearby.

Charlie brings over a bowl of food to Paige.

Paige notices the food is cut up into very small pieces.

Charlie sees the expression on her face.

CHARLIE

Jack cut the food up and told me to bring it over to you.

PAIGE

And did he tell you to watch me as well?

Paige takes the bowl of food as Charlie sits down next to her.

CHARLIE

For a little while.

Charlie smiles at her.

CHARLIE (CONTINUES)

If you need to talk, I'm listening.

PAIGE

Jesus, if one more person today tells me that, I'm going to…

LOCKE

Cut your arm open again?

Paige and Charlie look up to see Locke standing in front of them.

Charlie stands up and pulls Locke to the side.

CHARLIE

Jack wants you to stay away from her.

LOCKE

Do you do everything that Jack asks you to do?

CHARLIE

I want you to stay away from her.

LOCKE

I only want to talk to her.

CHARLIE

Well, she's not interested in what you have to say.

PAIGE

Excuse me, Charlie, but I can speak for myself. It's okay. I like to hear what he has to say.

Locke smiles at Charlie before sitting down next to Paige.

Charlie shakes his head and walks away.

LOCKE

Thank you.

PAIGE

Just tell me what it is that you want and don't say that you just want to listen to me.

LOCKE

Actually, I think that you would want to listen to me. You didn't cut your arm open last night.

Paige looks at him.

PAIGE

So, who did?

LOCKE

I don't know. But I know that if you want answers, you should come with me early in the morning. When everyone is still asleep.

PAIGE

What about Jack?

LOCKE

He can be overprotective at times, but he should be okay with you having a… Babysitter.

PAIGE

He won't be okay with you watching me.

LOCKE

Let me worry about that.

PAIGE

Alright. I'll come with you.

LOCKE

Good. I'll come get you.

Locke stands up and walks away.

Charlie watches him from nearby.

EXT. THE ISLAND- JUNGLE – MORNING

Paige follows Locke into the wilderness. He pauses every now and then to make sure she is still following him.

PAIGE

Where are we going?

LOCKE

You'll see. We're almost there.

INT. CAMP

Jack looks around for Paige. He sees Hurley nearby.

JACK

Hurley, have you seen Paige?

HURLEY

No, dude. I think she is with that Williams guy.

JACK

At least, somebody's with her.

Charlie hurries up to them.

CHARLIE

Jack, Locke's gone, and so's Paige.

JACK

Damn it. Alright. Let's get a search party together.

HURLEY

Dude, I may not trust Locke after what happened, but he was right in some ways. Maybe Paige will be okay with him.

JACK

I don't think so, Hurley. We have to find them.

EXT. JUNGLE

Locke and Paige enter a clearing.

LOCKE

This is it.

PAIGE

This is it?

Paige looks around the clearing but doesn't see anything.

Suddenly, something sharp bites into her arm.

Paige grabs her arm and looks down at a dart that Locke had thrown into her arm.

PAIGE

What the hell, Locke?

She starts to feel dizzy.

LOCKE

You want answers, don't you? Answers on why you came back from your suicide attempt? Answers on why you are now here?

PAIGE

You seem to know a lot about me.

She sits down on the ground. Her head starts to feel heavy, and her vision starts to blur.

LOCKE

Not me, Paige. The island knows you. It wanted you here, and here you are.

PAIGE

You're crazy, Locke. Jack was right about you. Tell me one thing.

LOCKE

What?

PAIGE

Did you cut that angry scar of mine open again?

Before Locke could answer her, Paige blacks out.

INT. PAIGE'S APARTMENT- SIX YEARS LATER

Paige and Michael are arguing.

MICHAEL

Paige, why can't you stop being afraid? What the hell are you so afraid of!

PAIGE

Nothing, Michael. I just don't understand why we have to move on. Everything is fine.

MICHAEL

Everything is not fine, Paige. You never went to college. You worked in retail after your suicide attempt. Your life is now in a shoebox like this apartment. You don't take chances. You don't like change. I can't be with someone like you.

PAIGE

Well, I'm sorry that I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, Michael.

MICHAEL

Hey, I am not some spoiled rich brat, okay? I live my life my way. I live, Paige. Something that you seem to be afraid to do, and I want to know why. I want to know why you insist on pushing people away from you. Why, Paige? Why!

PAIGE

You know what, Michael? There's the door. Please leave. I don't need you.

Paige starts to walk away, but Michael grabs her by the arm.

MICHAEL

What are you so afraid of, Paige?

EXT. WILDERNESS

Jack, Charlie, Hurley, and Sawyer rush into the clearing to find Paige lying on the ground unconscious. Locke stands nearby.

Jack runs up to him and grabs him by the shirt.

JACK

What did you do, Locke?

LOCKE

Trust me on this, Jack. I'm helping her.

CHARLIE

That's bull, and you know it.

Charlie approaches them.

SAWYER

He drugged her.

He picks up the dart from the ground and shows it to everyone.

JACK

Why?

LOCKE

She wanted answers, but only she can answer them.

JACK

I thought I could trust again, Locke, but I guess I was wrong.

LOCKE

Jack, you can't be overprotective of her. She's more than you realize. She came here for a reason.

JACK

I'm done listening to you.

Jack lets go of Locke.

JACK (CONTINUES)

Hurley!

HURLEY

I already have her, Jack.

Hurley is carrying Paige in his arms.

JACK

We're all going back to camp, Locke. Let's go!

INT. INFIRMARY

Paige wakes up with a headache.

PAIGE

Ow. My head.

She rubs her forehead.

JACK

Here.

Jack walks over to her with a bowl of water and two aspirins.

PAIGE

I hate pills.

She swallows them down, trying not to gag. She finishes the bowl of water.

JACK

Are you okay?

He remains standing near her.

PAIGE

Yes. Where's Locke?

JACK

He's around. You shouldn't have gone with him, Paige.

PAIGE

I'm happy that I did.

Paige looks up at Jack.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Ever since that night you saved me, I felt wrong. I felt like that I should not have come back. That I was now different, and I feared that. I was afraid of that.

Paige stands up from the cot.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Ever since that night, I guess I tried to make myself disappear. I didn't have any friends. I didn't let anyone get close to me except for Michael. I kept my life simple. I kept it in a shoebox.

Jack watches her but doesn't say anything.

PAIGE

After that dream of coming here and after sending those letters out telling the world that you survived, I felt that I did my part. I didn't need to be here anymore, so I cut my arm open with a knife that I stole from Locke when he was asleep. But I'm still here, thanks to you. I just don't know what to do with myself now.

Paige looks down at her arm.

JACK

We need you. We… I would like it if you stuck around.

Paige looks at him. She starts to cry. She smiles at him but still cries.

PAIGE

I don't want to die. Whatever Locke did, he opened my eyes, and I won't be afraid anymore.

She continues to cry.

Jack puts his arms around her. He holds her as she continues to cry.

JACK

You're not alone, Paige. You'll never be alone here. I promise.

EXT. ISLAND- BEACH-DAY

Paige sits on the sand watching the ocean. Locke approaches her with something resembling a shoebox in his hands.

LOCKE

I made this for you.

He hands it to her as Paige smiles.

PAIGE

It looks like a shoebox made out of bamboo.

LOCKE

It was the best that I could do. So, what are you going to do with it?

Paige stands up, holding the thing in her hands.

PAIGE

I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago.

She walks out into the water and drops the shoebox in. She watches the water push the shoebox away from the shore and out to sea.

Smiling, she turns to see Locke watching her. She smiles at him before turning to watch the shoebox disappear in the horizon.

End.


	3. Chapter 3

Whispers of Me 

By, Melissa DARK ROOM

Paige struggles to stand up from the floor. She slowly moves to a doorway where a light bulb flickers. Warm tears course down her face as she pushes back a strand of her brown hair. She is almost to the doorway when she hears his voice.

MAN

Where are you going, Paige? Are you still trying to run from me?

Paige turns around to see Michael Jennings standing behind her.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Poor Paige. Always in the dark.

PAIGE

You're dead, Michael.

MICHAEL

And it's your fault!

He grabs Paige by the throat and starts to choke her.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

I should have killed you when I had the chance.

He continues to strangle Paige who struggles to breathe.

EXT. THE ISLAND- JACK'S INFIRMARY-NIGHT

Paige wakes up as Jack leans over her. His hand stops from running through her hair. Her eyes meet his, and she could see the concern in them.

PAIGE

We have to stop meeting like this, Jack.

Jack laughs as he sits next to Paige, who lies on a bed of covers on the ground.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

What happened?

JACK

I gave you some medicine to break your fever, and you passed out.

He looks down at his hands.

JACK (CONTINUES)

I was only running my hand through your hair to calm you. You were having a nightmare. It looked like a bad one. Do you want to talk about it?

Before Paige could answer him, Sayid runs into the tent.

SAYID

Jack, we need to talk. More people are becoming sick.

He looks from Jack to Paige and then back to Jack.

JACK

We'll talk later. Get some rest.

He follows Sayid outside.

As Paige starts to fall back asleep, she senses someone behind her. She hesitates before looking over her shoulder. She doesn't see anyone and turns back around.

Suddenly, she comes face to face with herself. Their eyes meet. Not one moves for a moment.

Suddenly, Paige's double lunges at her with Locke's knife raised high over her head.

Startled, Paige sits up in the bed in the infirmary. She realizes that Jack was in the middle of running his fingers through her hair when she abruptly woke up. She looks at him as he moves away from her.

JACK

Sorry. I know how you don't like to be touched.

PAIGE

You did that to calm me because I was having a bad nightmare.

JACK

Yeah. How did you know that?

PAIGE

Sayid is going to run in and say that more people are becoming sick.

Jack stares at Paige when Sayid runs into the tent.

SAYID

Jack, we need to talk. More people are becoming sick.

He notices the look on Jack's face.

SAYID (CONTINUES)

What?

Jack looks at Paige, who looks back at him.

EXT. INFIRMARY – DAY

Paige wanders over to where the sick are being taken care of. She looks for Sawyer and soon finds him. She sees Kate wiping a damp cloth across his sweaty brow.

PAIGE

How is he?

Kate turns to look at Paige.

KATE

He's okay. He's not as bad as some others. It's really the fever that doesn't seem to want to break.

She looks at Paige.

KATE (CONTINUES)

How are you feeling?

PAIGE

I'm okay. How about you?

KATE

I'm okay.

Kate resumes wiping Sawyer's brow with the cloth as he rests.

KATE (CONTINUES)

Did you want something?

PAIGE

I just wanted to see Sawyer. That's all.

KATE

You should let him rest.

PAIGE

Could I just sit here for a while?

KATE

He needs his space, Paige.

PAIGE

Does he, or are you jealous that he has been spending time with me more than with you?

Kate glares at Paige.

Sawyer opens his eyes to look at them as a grin spreads across his face.

SAWYER

Now, now, girls. There's plenty of me to go around.

Kate groans and throws the cloth at Sawyer, who tries not to laugh. She stands up from the ground and gives Paige a dirty look. She storms away from them.

Paige looks hurt as Sawyer laughs.

SAWYER

I see Freckles hates competition.

He turns to look at Paige.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

What's on your mind, Paige?

Paige turns to look at him and then looks away.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

Are you okay?

PAIGE

Yes. I… I just wanted to check on you. You should get some rest.

Sawyer studies her.

Paige starts to walk away.

SAWYER

Paige.

She turns to look at him.

SAWYER

What is it?

PAIGE

Don't worry about it, Sawyer. Just get better.

Paige walks away.

Sawyer struggles to sit up. His head still feels heavy as he squints after Paige. Giving up, he lies back down but doesn't go to sleep.

Paige continues to walk away from the camp.

INT. RETAIL STORE- FLASHBACK-DAY

Paige greets customers as they come into the store.

PAIGE

Hi. How are you today?

CUSTOMER

Good. Yourself?

PAIGE

Good. If you need any help, just let me know.

The customer nods and walks off.

Just then, a man enters the store and bumps into Paige.

MAN

Excuse me.

PAIGE

Sorry. How are you today, sir?

The man looks at her and doesn't say anything.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Well, if you need any help, just let me know.

She starts to walk away from him.

MAN

Paige?

She turns around to look at him.

MAN (CONTINUES)

It's me. Michael Jennings. It's been… What? Four years since I bumped into you at the hospital?

Paige continues to stare at him.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

You don't remember me. I guess it's been a long time, right?

Paige feels her face get red as she walks closer to him.

PAIGE

It has been a long time. We only met briefly. How do you remember me?

MICHAEL

You made an impression on me. Anyway, what are you up to these days?

PAIGE

Just working here really.

MICHAEL

Well, that's good. I went to work for my father.

PAIGE

The one that was yelling at the nurses.

MICHAEL

You do remember.

Paige notices her manager watching her. Michael follows her gaze.

PAIGE

Yeah. Look, I have to get back to work.

MICHAEL

Okay. It was great bumping into you again.

Paige laughs.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Listen, I'm going to be in town for a few days. Why don't we have dinner?

Paige stops laughing and looks at him.

PAIGE

Look, don't take this the wrong way. But I don't date.

MICHAEL

It's not a date. We just have dinner. That's it. If you don't want it to be more than that, it won't be.

Paige shifts from foot to foot.

MICHAEL

It's up to you. Here's my business card.

He takes out his wallet and opens it. He takes out a business card and hands it to Paige. He doesn't let go of the card right away.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Think about it.

He smiles at Paige before walking out of the store.

Paige looks down at his business card.

EXT. THE ISLAND- NEAR THE CAMP

PAIGE

And you thought about it. You went on the date and look where it led you.

Paige stops in her footsteps and turns to look at herself.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

You could have ripped up that card and lived in your shoebox world, but no. You decided to let him in, and now look at where we are.

Paige is now face to face with herself.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

You're pathetic. You forget so easily what the last guy did to you. All you have to do is look at your arm and remember.

Paige is speechless as she stares at herself.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

But you're weak. You love how Jack watches over you, and you yearn for a bad boy like Sawyer. When will you ever learn? You can't even talk to yourself? You can't say anything?

Paige continues to stare at herself.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Okay. Be silent. You're good at that. The first one died at camp today, and you are not that far off the list. So be silent. Don't say anything. Just remember that when it is your turn to die how much you really hate yourself because you are weak.

Suddenly, Hurly appears near Paige.

HURLEY

Paige, are you okay?

Paige turns to look at Hurley. She turns around and realizes that her other self is gone.

HURLEY (CONTINUES)

Who were you talking to?

He cautiously approaches her.

PAIGE

Did anyone die at camp today, Hurley?

She looks at him as he keeps his distance.

HURLEY

No. Maybe you should go see Jack. You might have the fever again.

PAIGE

I'm okay.

HURLEY

Dude, you were talking to yourself, and you weren't saying nice things.

Paige looks down at the scar on her arm.

HURLEY (CONTINUES)

You should go see Jack.

PAIGE

Don't tell me what to do, Hurley. Not now.

Hurley backs away from her.

Paige hurries away from him.

Hurley watches her disappear into the jungle.

HURLEY

Oh boy.

INT. CAMP – DAY

Jack pulls a sheet over the first victim of the fever as Hurley hurries over to him in a sweat.

Locke, Sayid, and Sawyer stand near Jack.

HURLEY

Dude, we got problems.

Jack turns to look at Hurley who now sees the dead body.

HURLEY (CONTINUES)

Woah. She was right.

SAYID

She? Do you mean Paige?

SAWYER

Where is she, Hurley?

HURLEY

Shouldn't you be lying down?

JACK

Hurley, what did she say?

Jack stands up from the dead body and looks at Hurley.

HURLEY

Well, she was kind of acting psycho. Some of the things she was saying didn't make sense. However, she mentioned that the first to die would be today, and there would be more to follow including herself.

LOCKE

Why didn't she come back with you?

HURLEY

Because she was acting psycho.

SAWYER

That's it. I'm going to find her.

Sawyer starts to storm off but suddenly gets dizzy.

Sayid grabs him before he could fall.

JACK

Sawyer, go lie down.

SAWYER

Forget it, Jack. Obviously, there is something wrong with her, and if you're not going to do anything about it, then I am.

LOCKE

I'll find her and bring her back here.

SAWYER

That just makes me feel a lot better that you will go find her.

Sawyer and Locke stare at each other.

JACK

Sawyer, we'll find her. Go lie down. Sayid, we need to find the French woman. Maybe she could help us because her team got sick. It might be the same illness.

HURLEY

What about me?

JACK

Go with Sayid. Locke, it's just you and me again.

KATE

And me.

Kate appears near them.

JACK

Kate, I need you to take care of those that are sick.

KATE

Charlie and Claire can handle it for now.

JACK

Fine. We're working against time now before anyone else dies from this illness, so I'm not going to argue. Let's just go.

SAYID

You okay, Sawyer?

SAWYER

Fine. Thank you.

He watches Sayid and Hurley walk away with the others. He turns to look at Kate.

Kate notices his stare.

KATE

What?

SAWYER

I thought you didn't like her.

KATE

I don't.

SAWYER

So, why are you going to look for her?

Kate looks away for a moment.

KATE

I don't know, Sawyer. What do you want me to say? How I hate how she looks at you, or…

SAWYER

Or how she looks at Jack? You're gonna have to chose between us, Freckles. Him or me.

KATE

What makes you think that we have something?

SAWYER

Because of the way you've been acting since Paige first arrived here.

Kate stares at him.

KATE

Go lie down, Sawyer. We'll find her.

Kate walks away.

SAWYER

That doesn't answer my question.

Kate doesn't respond as Sawyer chuckles.

EXT. THE ISLAND- JUNGLE

Paige sits down on the ground as she wipes the sweat from her forehead. She feels the warmth from her hand but ignores it. She struggles to stand but then decides to sit for a while.

INT.BALLROOM-NIGHT

Michael Jenning's father is being honored for his contributions to a cancer research facility. Michael just finished his speech, praising his father. He calls Paige up to the stage and asks her to stand next to him.

MICHAEL

Behind a great man is another following in his footsteps, and guiding him to greatness is the love of his life.

He puts his arm around Paige and turns her toward him.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Paige Gammon, will you marry me?

Paige is speechless as the large crowd gasps and waits patiently for her to respond.

Michael gets down on one knee and takes out a small, velvet box from his suit pocket. He opens it, revealing a diamond ring.

PAIGE

Isn't this too soon, Michael? We've been only dating for a year now.

MICHAEL

And in that year, you stole my heart.

Paige sees the disapproving look on Michael's father's face as the father looks away. The crowd continues to wait for her to answer. A photographer waits near the stage to snap her picture no matter what the answer was.

PAIGE

Yes. Yes, I will.

A large applause rips through the crowd as Michael places the ring on Paige's hand. The photographer snaps Paige's picture. Paige smiles at Michael who now stands next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She looks nervously at the ring now on her finger.

PAIGE

It should've been the happiest moment of your life, but that knot in your stomach told you otherwise.

Paige turns to see her double sitting next to her.

PAIGE

Are you going to hurt me?

PAIGE'S DOUBLE

I'm too tired to be angry with myself right now. Why are we out here?

Paige looks at herself.

PAIGE

I think I am looking for something.

Her double nods.

PAIGE'S DOUBLE

A plant. You are looking for a plant, which is only a hundred feet from here. Do you see it?

The image of the plant enters Paige's mind.

Paige is unaware of Jack, Locke, and Kate approaching her.

PAIGE

I see it. Why am I looking for it?

JACK

Paige?

Paige is unaware of him.

PAIGE'S DOUBLE

The sap will cure them. The sap will cure you. Beware of its white thorns for it is poisonous. You must get to the roots to get to the sap.

She turns to look at Jack.

JACK

Paige.

He puts his hand on her arm and feels how hot she is.

JACK (CONTINUES)

Paige, you need to get to the infirmary. You're burning up. Do you hear me?

Paige turns to look at Jack, seeing him for the first time. She looks up at Locke and Kate who stand nearby, watching her.

LOCKE

Who were you talking to, Paige?

JACK

That's not important, Locke. Paige, can you stand?

LOCKE

It is important, Jack especially the part about the plant. If she knows how to cure everyone including herself, then we should find it.

JACK

She's delusional, Locke. Paige? Paige?

Paige stands up from the ground and looks down at Jack. Her head starts to clear.

PAIGE

Locke's right, Jack. We need to find that plant.

JACK

You need to get to the infirmary.

Jack stands up from the ground and looks at Paige.

PAIGE

No.

JACK

Paige, don't make me carry you. You're going back to the infirmary.

PAIGE

Jack, haven't I been right up to now? Trust me. We need this plant, and I know where it is.

She starts to walk away when Jack grabs her by the arm. She looks at him.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Jack, I need to do this. No matter how sick I am, I need to do this. I need to know that I am not weak.

JACK

You're not weak, Paige.

PAIGE

That's easy for you to say.

LOCKE

Jack, we should let her guide us to the plant. She knows where it is.

JACK

You're not helping, Locke.

Jack turns to look at him. He looks at Paige and sees the look on her face. Sighing, he lets go of her arm.

JACK (CONTINUES)

But Paige has been right up till now, so I trust her. Lead the way, Paige.

Paige heads further into the jungle. Locke is right behind her.

KATE

What if she is delusional and wrong about the plant? What if it doesn't cure anyone?

JACK

I don't know, Kate, but she has been right up till now.

KATE

And you trust her.

JACK

Yes, I do. Is there something that you want to say, Kate?

KATE

No.

She starts to walk toward the jungle, where Locke and Paige disappeared.

JACK

I think you are jealous of her.

Kate turns to look at Jack.

KATE

I don't think so.

JACK

Oh, I think so. You have been acting weird since she arrived here.

KATE

That's what Sawyer said.

Kate realizes what she said after she said it.

JACK

Sawyer. Well, it's obvious how you feel about him. Yet, I pick up mixed vibes between us.

KATE

What's your point, Jack?

JACK

You're going to have to figure out that for yourself because obviously you are jealous of Paige and her attachments to me and Sawyer. If you have feelings for Sawyer or for me, you should figure out what you want to do about them and not let them out on Paige. It's me or Sawyer, Kate. You chose.

Jack walks past her and into the jungle.

Kate stares after Jack before walking into the jungle.

INT. RETAIL STORE-DAY

Paige enters the store. She notices weird expressions on the other associates' faces. Some won't even look at her. She goes to the back of the store and into the manager's office.

PAIGE

You wanted to see me, Mary.

Her manager looks up from her paperwork and gestures for Paige to take a seat in the chair in front of her desk.

MARY

You're fired, Paige. Here's your paycheck and two days worth of pay before your vacation.

PAIGE

Fired? What did I do?

Mary opens her top desk drawer and pulls out Paige's paycheck. She turns toward the safe behind her and opens it. She pulls out a couple of bills and starts to count them out.

PAIGE

Mary, what did I do? I only went on vacation for four days, and now I'm fired?

MARY

Talk to your fiancée.

PAIGE

What does he have to do with this?

MARY

He's the one that called me.

PAIGE

Called you? About what? Why would he call you?

Mary hands Paige the money and her check.

Paige doesn't take it right away.

PAIGE

Mary, what's going on?

MARY

Look, Paige, you are a sweet person, but I can see that that is all an act. If you have a drug problem, get help. We can't have someone like you here especially if you are unstable.

PAIGE

Unstable? What did Michael tell you?

MARY

Talk to him. Now, get out of my store.

Paige rises from her seat and takes her money and check. She looks at Mary, who watches her. She leaves the office and walks out of the store.

INT.HALLWAY

Paige tries to fit her key into her apartment door, but it won't fit into the doorknob.

Suddenly, the door flies open, and an angry woman glares at Paige.

WOMAN

What do you think you are doing?

PAIGE

I live here. What are you doing in my apartment?

WOMAN

Your apartment? Honey, this is my apartment. I just moved in here.

PAIGE

But I live here!

WOMAN

Obviously, you don't. Now, stop trying to break into my apartment and talk to the landlord if you have a problem with that.

She slams the door shut in Paige's face.

Angry, Paige looks for the landlord. She finds him in his office on the first floor. She enters his office.

PAIGE

What the hell? I paid you rent for this month.

LANDLORD

Yes, you did, and here it is.

He tosses an envelope of money toward her from across his desk. He then turns his attention to the paperwork in front of him.

PAIGE

I don't understand. What did I do?

LANDLORD

Talk to your fiancée.

PAIGE

What? What did he tell you?

LANDLORD

Look, I'm a busy man, and I have no time to waste, okay? Talk to him since you live with him. Now, get out of my office.

Paige storms out of his office with her money in her hand.

INT. MICHAEL JENNING'S MANSION

Paige storms up the concrete steps to his home and stops when she notices a FOR SALE sign near the driveway. She realizes that she passed a few UHAULS on the way here.

PAIGE

What is going on?

Entering the mansion, Paige screams for Michael. She finds him in his den.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

You have no right, Michael! You take my job, my home away from me! Who the hell do you think you are!

MICHAEL

Honey, do we have to fight about this now? We're going to be late for our flight.

PAIGE

Flight?

MICHAEL

Yes, flight. My father's company recently expanded, and I get to be in charge of it in Australia.

PAIGE

What! Australia! You're going to Australia?

MICHAEL

We're going to Australia.

PAIGE

Forget it. I'm not going anywhere with you.

MICHAEL

And where are you going to go? What are you going to do? You have no job, no home. You have no choice but to come with me.

PAIGE

You're unbelievable. You take my job away from me. You take my home away from me. You took my life. What kind of monster are you?

MICHAEL

What kind of monster are you? You keep yourself alone and trapped in a shoebox apartment and work a mind-numbing job. I didn't take your life away from you. You did that to yourself because of what he did to you.

PAIGE

Don't mention him.

MICHAEL

He's the reason that you tried to kill yourself.

PAIGE

Stop it.

MICHAEL

You let him get close to you.

PAIGE

Shut up.

MICHAEL

You let your guard down.

PAIGE

Stop it!

MICHAEL

Now, you're with me.

Paige looks at Michael as tears fill her eyes.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

You said, "I do." Remember? The night at my father's ceremony? The engagement ring on your finger? You're mine, Paige. Unless you decide to try and off yourself again, you belong to me. Now, let's go.

He grabs Paige by the arm and leads her outside to a waiting limousine.

EXT.JUNGLE

Paige stops walking. Locke is right behind her. Jack and Kate aren't too far behind.

LOCKE

What is it?

PAIGE

Nothing. Just bad memories.

Paige looks around.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

We're close. This way.

She leads everyone to a rocky slope.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

The plant should be at the base of this slope.

She starts to make her way down, but Locke grabs her by the arm.

LOCKE

Maybe you should take a break. I'll make my way down there to the plant.

PAIGE

I can do it, Locke.

LOCKE

I believe you can, but you're obviously tired. Take a break.

Jack and Kate approach them.

KATE

What's going on?

LOCKE

The plant is at the base of this slope.

JACK

So, what are we waiting for?

He looks at Paige.

JACK (CONTINUES)

Paige, you should rest.

PAIGE

I made it this far. Let's go.

She starts to make her way down the slope.

Jack and Locke look at each other. They follow Paige down the slope. Kate follows after them.

Suddenly, Paige loses her grip on the muddy slope and falls. Jack and Locke both reach to grab her but fail to catch her. Kate turns to see Paige plummet down to the ground.

JACK

Paige!

INT. THE DARK ROOM

Paige cries in the dark at the base of the stairs. The flickering light bulb above her swings back and forth. Footsteps are heard above her.

She slowly stands up and cautiously walks up the stairs.

EXT. JUNGLE

Jack and Locke run over to Paige. Kate hurries after them.

JACK

Paige!

He checks her but doesn't feel any broken bones or see any blood.

Paige opens her eyes and looks at him. She turns her head and sees the plant nearby.

PAIGE

There it is, but be careful of its white thorns. They're poisonous.

LOCKE

Are you okay?

PAIGE

No.

Paige faintly smiles as Jack and Locke exchange looks.

PAIGE

I know now what I've been running from. I've been running from that night that he lured down to his basement. He trapped me in there and raped me. Afterward, he went upstairs like nothing happened. What could I say? It would be my word against his. A popular guy against an outcast like me. I was so ashamed of dropping my guard. I was so happy that a guy actually looked at me like he did, and I was stupid to let him do what he did. I shouldn't have dropped my guard, and I was so angry and ashamed that I tried to kill myself. I let him ruin my life.

JACK

Paige, I'm so sorry.

Paige sits up from the ground.

PAIGE

I think that I am meant to be alone. I seem to surround myself with the wrong people, and maybe that is why I am here.

LOCKE

You're right.

Everyone looks at him.

LOCKE (CONTINUES)

You're here because of that.

JACK

Locke.

LOCKE

You're here but not to be alone. You're here to be with us.

Locke helps Paige stand up from the ground as Jack watches him. Kate looks at Paige.

LOCKE (CONTINUES)

Now, let's get that plant.

Just then, Sayid, Hurley, and the French woman appear. They look at everyone.

SAYID

What are you doing here?

JACK

Paige said that this plant would cure everyone.

SAYID

She's right, but watch out for…

LOCKE

The white thorns.

He takes out his knife and carefully cuts around the white thorns to pull the plant out of the ground.

FRENCH WOMAN

How could she have known this?

Everyone turns to look at Paige, who is now lying unconscious on the ground.

KATE

She was fine a minute ago.

Jack feels her forehead and realizes that she is hotter than before. He picks her up in his arms.

JACK

She's worse. We need to get her to the infirmary. We need to take that plant with us.

FRENCH WOMAN

If she knows things, the others will come back for her.

Everyone looks at her.

JACK

Let them try.

Locke pulls the plant out of the ground and now holds it in his hands.

LOCKE

Let's go.

INT.INFIRMARY-THREE DAYS LATER – DAY

Sawyer sits beside Paige as she starts to wake up.

SAWYER

Morning, sleepy head.

Paige turns to look up at him.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

So, how does it feel to be a hero?

PAIGE

I don't know. It worked? The plant worked?

SAWYER

Yup. Everyone is better, thanks to you.

PAIGE

I didn't think it would work that fast.

SAWYER

It's been three days, Paige.

PAIGE

Three days! I've been out for three days!

She sits up as Sawyer nods.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

I barely remember going down the slope. What happened?

Sawyer looks away.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

What?

SAWYER

So, you don't remember what you said about what happened to you? Why you tried to kill yourself?

Paige looks away.

PAIGE

I mentioned that night.

Sawyer nods.

SAWYER

Look, Paige…

PAIGE

Do me a favor, Sawyer? You obviously have feelings for Kate, and she has feelings for you. Before anything, you two should work them out. I think that in the meantime we should take a break.

SAWYER

I didn't realize that we were an item.

PAIGE

We're not, but we have been spending a lot of time together. Like I said, before anything, you and Kate need to figure out where you two stand with each other. I don't want to get between the two of you.

SAWYER

And Jack?

PAIGE

The same goes for him. I need to start doing what is best for me. It's something that I haven't done in a long time, and I need to do that. So, for now, we're just friends.

SAWYER

Just friends.

Sawyer stands up and starts to leave.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

I'll let you rest.

He leaves.

PAIGE

Thank you.

She turns to see herself standing near her. Her double smiles at her. She disappears a moment later.

Paige lies back down and goes to sleep.

END.


	4. Chapter 4

The Walk Alone 

By, Melissa Rachel

EXT.THE ISLAND-BEACH-MORNING

Paige sits down on the sand by the water. Her eyes follow the waves from the sea to the shore. Her ears echo with each crash of the water onto the sand. A gentle wind blows her hair back as she basks under the sun.

Absorbed in her thoughts, she doesn't realize that Sun Kwon has sat down beside her.

SUN

It's beautiful, isn't it?

She gestures with her hand toward the ocean. She smiles at Paige, who returns her smile.

PAIGE

Yes, it is. When I was a kid, my parents lived near a beach. Every weekend, we would be there. My parents would tan while I collected seashells along the shore.

SUN

Were you close with your parents?

PAIGE

I was until…

She looks down at her arm with the scar.

Sun follows her gaze and then looks at her.

SUN

I'm sorry.

PAIGE

No, I should be the one who is

sorry.

Sun looks at her.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

I've been ignoring you and your husband and basically everyone else here when I first arrived. If it weren't for Jack, I would still be avoiding everyone. It's the way I am, and I shouldn't be like that. And I'm sorry.

SUN

It's okay. You don't have to be alone here.

PAIGE

I know. It's just been a long time since I was a part of anything, a part of a family, I guess.

Sun reaches for Paige's hand and gives it a little squeeze.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

I was going to visit you when you were sick with the fever, but every time I passed by, Jin-Soo and Michael were right by your side. I'm happy that you are better.

SUN

Thanks to you. How did you know about the plant?

PAIGE

I'm not sure.

She looks at Sun before turning to stare out at the ocean in front of her.

Nearby, Michael watches them as Jin-Soo approaches him.

JIN-SOO

Are you okay, Michael?

Michael turns to see him standing behind him and smiles.

MICHAEL

I'm okay, Jin. I was just thinking.

JIN-SOO

About Walt?

Michael nods.

JIN-SOO (CONTINUES)

Jack will find him. Just give him time.

He places his hand on Michael's shoulder.

MICHAEL

I know Jack will find him. However, if he doesn't, I need to have an idea of what I am going to do.

He turns his attention back to Paige.

Sawyer strolls down to the beach and spots Paige sitting by the shore with Sun. He is about to approach them when he stops himself. He looks at them and then over at Michael and Jin-Soo. He notices an odd expression on Michael's face as he stares at Paige.

Charlie and Claire walk by him with the baby cradled in Claire's arms.

CHARLIE

Hey, Sawyer. Whatcha doing?

SAWYER

Nothing. What about you two?

CLAIRE

We're just taking a walk. Would you like to join us?

SAWYER

No thanks.

CHARLIE

Okay. Well, we'll see you around.

They walk away.

Sawyer returns his attention back to Michael but realizes that he is gone.

EXT. JUNGLE

Jack, Kate, Sayid and Shannon search the jungle for any trace of the Others and Walt.

Sayid and Shannon walk very close together, exchanging a few words.

Jack and Kate trail behind them.

KATE

They seem to be getting along.

Jack

Yeah. How about you and Sawyer?

KATE

We're getting along. Why do you ask?

JACK

No reason.

KATE

Jack, there's always a reason when

you question something.

JACK

I was just wondering how you two were getting along. That's all.

KATE

You're not jealous of Sawyer, are you?

JACK

Why would I be jealous of Sawyer?

KATE

Because you have feelings for me?

JACK

Kate…

Kate places her hand on Jack's arm. They stop walking and look at each other.

KATE

Jack, do you have feelings for me?

Before Jack can answer, Sayid is yelling for him a few feet ahead.

Jack and Kate break out into a run and meet up with Sayid and Shannon.

SHANNON

We found their camp.

SAYID

They recently left here. I would say not even four hours ago.

JACK

What about Walt? Any sign that he was here, that he's alive?

Sayid examines the area. He finds cut rope that was small enough to tie around a child's wrists.

SAYID

He's alive, and he was here.

He holds up the rope for everyone to see.

KATE

Where do you think that they are taking him?

JACK

I don't know. Sayid, any ideas?

SAYID

Their tracks run cold here, Jack. I think they knew that we were on to them.

JACK

Damn it!

SHANNON

So, that's it? We give up?

SAYID

Jack, it would be easier for us to split up. We can search the area faster.

JACK

I don't want any of us to split up, Sayid. We still do not know what these others are capable of.

SHANNON

And what do we tell Michael when we go back to camp? That we could have still looked for his son, but we decided not to? We need to keep searching for Walt, Jack.

KATE

She's right, Jack. What are we going to tell Michael if we go back now?

SAYID

Jack, we need to split up.

JACK

Alright. Just everyone be careful, and we will meet back here within the hour.

Everyone agrees. Sayid and Shannon go off in one direction while Jack and Kate head off in the other direction.

EXT. THE ISLAND- CAMP

Sawyer walks around, looking for Michael. Instead, he bumps into Hurley.

SAWYER

Hurley, have you seen Michael?

HURLEY

No, dude. I haven't seen him all day.

SAWYER

Thanks, Hurley.

Sawyer starts to walk away from him.

HURLEY

Should I tell him that you are looking for him?

Sawyer doesn't respond as he walks away.

HURLEY (CONTINUES)

What's eating him?

INT. JUNGLE

Michael walks through the jungle and bumps into Locke.

MICHAEL

What are you doing, Locke? Shouldn't you be with Jack looking for my son?

LOCKE

I thought it would be best if I gave Jack some space.

MICHAEL

Space? You have a better idea of this island than Jack. You should be leading the search party instead of him.

LOCKE

Jack is very capable of finding your son too, Michael.

MICHAEL

So, instead of looking for my son, you're just… What? Doing your own thing again?

LOCKE

Michael, they will find your son. In the meantime, you should wait for them as Jack said back at camp.

MICHAEL

You didn't answer my question, Locke.

Locke studies him for a moment.

LOCKE

Do you want me to look for your son?

MICHAEL

Yes, I do. He looked up to you. He respected you. How could you not look for him?

LOCKE

I'll look for him. Just tell Jack when he comes back that I'm looking for him too.

MICHAEL

Thank you, Locke.

He starts to walk away.

LOCKE

Michael.

Michael hesitates before turning around to look at Locke.

LOCKE (CONTINUES)

We'll find him.

MICHAEL

I hope so.

He walks away as Locke watches him.

EXT. THE ISLAND- SUN'S GARDEN

Paige plants seeds from the plant that healed everyone into Sun's garden. She pushes warm soil over it. She sits down on the ground as Sun approaches her.

SUN

That plant is simply amazing. I wonder if there are others like it out there in the jungle.

PAIGE

It saddens me that the Rain Forest is either being destroyed or is destroyed, and in that destruction, plants like this disappear.

Paige stands up from the ground and wipes the dirt off her hands.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

We could find the cure for cancer and other diseases here with this plant and possibly others out there in the jungle.

Sun watches her as Paige frowns.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

But what good would it do if we are never to be rescued?

SUN

What about your letter?

PAIGE

I don't know.

They're quiet for a moment.

SUN

Here. I made this for you. It should bring you luck.

Sun hands Paige a bracelet twisted together with vines from one of her plants. The vines feel like velvet.

PAIGE

Thank you, Sun.

Paige slips the bracelet over her hand and onto her wrist.

SUN

You're welcome.

EXT.ISLAND--BEACH

Jin is fishing in the ocean as Sawyer approaches him. He turns to see Sawyer.

JIN

Hello, Sawyer.

SAWYER

Hey, Jin. I was wondering if you knew where Michael went.

JIN

Michael? I have not seen him since this morning.

SAWYER

So, you have no idea where he may have gone off to?

JIN

No. Sorry.

Just then, Jin catches a fish. When he turns around, Sawyer is gone.

EXT.ISLAND-CAMP

Michael approaches Charlie.

MICHAEL

Hey, Charlie.

CHARLIE

Hey, Michael.

MICHAEL

I was wondering about something.

CHARLIE

Yeah. What's that?

MICHAEL

Did you tell Jack about that place that you and Sayid found the French woman with Claire's baby? The place that she was going to try and trade the baby for her own?

CHARLIE

No. Sayid is with him, and I thought he would've told him.

MICHAEL

Well, according to Locke, he didn't, and they are walking in circles out there in the jungle.

CHARLIE

That can't be right.

MICHAEL

Why would Locke lie?

CHARLIE

Well, if you noticed, he isn't exactly all there with this whole destiny thing.

MICHAEL

Charlie, I'm not playing games here.

CHARLIE

Well, neither am I!

MICHAEL

Well, tell me where this place is!

Charlie stares at Michael.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES0

If you tell me, then Locke and I can find Walt. If Jack finds him first, great, but if he doesn't, then I need to. I need to find my son, Charlie. We're wasting time here. Time that Walt may not have. So, please. Tell me where this place is.

Charlie stares at Michael.

EXT.CAMP

Getting anxious, Sawyer hurries around camp, looking for Michael. A knot continues to grow in his stomach. He mutters under his breath when he sees Sun walk by.

SAWYER

Sun!

She turns to look at Sawyer.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

Where's Paige?

SUN

I think she went back to the beach to watch the sun set.

SAWYER

Is anyone with her?

SUN

No. Why?

SAWYER

Damn it!

SUN

What's wrong?

SAWYER

I think Michael is going to do something to her.

SUN

What! Why would he do something to her?

SAWYER

I don't know, but we're wasting time. We need to find her. Now!

Sawyer and Sun hurry toward the beach.

EXT. BEACH

Water rushes up to Paige's bare feet as she walks along the shore. Her ears echo with each crashing wave as her eyes take in the setting sun's beautiful rays stretching across the sky. A peace settles over her as she thinks of Sawyer.

Suddenly, she senses someone behind her.

PAIGE

Sawyer?

Paige turns around to see Michael standing behind her.

Michael watches her for a moment. He looks away and then back at Paige.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Michael? What's wrong?

MICHAEL

I'm sorry, Paige.

PAIGE

Sorry? For what?

MICHAEL

For this.

He punches Paige in the face, knocking her unconscious.

EXT.BEACH

Sawyer and Sun reach the beach, but there is no sign of Paige or Michael.

SAWYER

Where is she?

Sun looks at him.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

You should never have left her alone, Sun!

Sawyer hurries along the shore, but there is still no sign of Paige. He stops running and places his hands on his hips.

Looking down at the sand by his feet, Sawyer sees the bracelet that Sun had given Paige. He kneels down and picks it up. He looks at it and then over at Sun who stands nearby, staring at the bracelet.

SAWYER

What did you do, Michael?

His hand tightens on the bracelet.

TO BE CONTINUED?


	5. Chapter 5

The Walk Alone: PART 2 

By, Melissa Rachel

INT. PAIGE'S BEDROOM- NIGHT

Paige sits in front of her computer and adamantly types away. Her fingers pound down on the keyboard as black words appear on the white screen in front of her. Her brown hair is pushed back behind her ears. She ignores the phone ringing nearby as she continues to write.

Suddenly, her MOTHER walks into her room with the phone in her hand.

MOTHER

It's him, Paige.

PAIGE

I don't want to talk to him, Mom. Just hang up on him.

MOTHER

Paige, he can hear you.

Paige turns to see that her mother did not cover the mouthpiece of the phone.

Angrily, she grabs the phone from her mother.

PAIGE

Leave me alone, you son of a bitch!

Paige hangs up the phone and hands it back to her mother, who has a look of concern on her face.

MOTHER

Do you want to tell me what he did?

PAIGE

No.

MOTHER

Paige…

PAIGE

Mom, I don't want to talk about it, okay? Not now.

MOTHER

Fine. (Pause) What are you working on?

She starts to read the computer screen when Paige turns her chair around, blocking the screen.

PAIGE

It's nothing. It's just a homework assignment that I'm behind on.

MOTHER

Paige, you can't screw around especially in your senior year of high school. You need to graduate. You have to start college in the fall. If you don't graduate, your father…

PAIGE

Mom, I know. I know that dad wants me to graduate, go to college, and get a real job. I got that, okay? Besides, I'm going to his college of choice, so I should find a real job afterward.

MOTHER

Paige, he is just afraid that if you go to school for film, that you won't find a job and that you'll become a…

PAIGE

A starving artist, but film is my heart, mom. It always has been other than writing.

MOTHER

Well, once you get that real job, you can work on film afterward. You can put money on the side, go back to school, and then do what you want.

PAIGE

It never works out like that. That's just an excuse to kill a dream.

MOTHER

Paige…

PAIGE

Mom, it's okay. I have to get back to my homework. Okay?

MOTHER

Okay. Dinner will be ready in an hour.

PAIGE

Okay. Thanks, mom.

She turns her chair back around as her mother walks to her bedroom door.

MOTHER

And Paige?

Paige turns to look at her.

MOTHER (CONTINUES)

What do you want to me to do if he calls again?

PAIGE

Just hang up on him.

Her mother stares at her for a few minutes before leaving the room.

Paige sighs and looks down at her bare arms. There is no scar on her left arm.

EXT. JUNGLE – NIGHT

Michael carries Paige over his shoulder as he makes his way to the spot that Charlie told him about. He looks over his shoulder to make sure nobody is following him. He continues to make his way through the jungle.

PAIGE

Michael?

Michael freezes in his steps.

PAIGE (CONTINUES)

Michael, please put me down.

MICHAEL

Not yet, Paige. We'll make camp soon, but I need to keep walking just a little bit more.

PAIGE

Michael, your plan will not work. They will not give you back Walt. They may not even let us go.

MICHAEL

It is a risk that I am willing to take.

PAIGE

You don't have to do this, Michael.

MICHAEL

I'm sorry, Paige. But this is how it is going to be. We'll make camp soon.

Michael continues to walk through the jungle with Paige hanging over his shoulder.

EXT. JUNGLE

Sayid and Shannon walk together through the jungle when they suddenly hear whispers. They look around, but the sound is everywhere. They draw closer together as the whispers get louder.

Suddenly, Shannon sees Walt standing nearby. He is saying something, but Shannon cannot understand him. He points at her before turning to run back in the jungle.

SHANNON

Walt! Wait! Walt!

She takes off after him.

Snapping his head in Shannon's direction, Sayid takes off after her.

SAYID

Shannon! Shannon!

SHANNON

Walt! Walt!

She runs through the jungle.

Sayid is a few feet behind her.

Suddenly, a gunshot rings out in the dark.

EXT. JUNGLE

Jack and Kate hear the gunshot. They look at each other before taking off in that direction.

A few minutes later, they find Sayid cradling Shannon's body in his arms. Tears course down his face. His gaze is fixated on Anna Lucia and the Tailies.

Jack freezes in his steps as Anna Lucia lowers the gun and turns to look at him.

Kate looks at Jack and then at her.

Sayid continues to glare at Anna Lucia.

SAYID

You killed her!

Anna Lucia continues to stare at Jack.

ANNA LUCIA

Jack?

EXT. CAMP

Sawyer and Sun walk over to Charlie.

SAWYER

Charlie, I heard that Michael spoke to you earlier.

CHARLIE

Yeah, he did. Why? What's going on?

SUN

Michael took Paige.

CHARLIE

What!

SAWYER

You heard her. What did you tell him?

CHARLIE

What do you mean that he took her? Took her where?

Suddenly, he realizes where Michael could have taken Paige.

CHARLIE (CONTINUES)

Oh no. But why would he do that when Jack and everyone else is already looking for Walt?

Sawyer grabs Charlie by the front of his shirt.

SAWYER

What did you tell him?

CHARLIE

Just the place that Sayid and I followed the French women to, the place that she was going to trade Claire's baby for her own.

SUN

Oh no.

SAWYER

You idiot!

He pushes Charlie away from him.

CHARLIE

Hey, he said that he and Locke were going to look there for Walt and the Others because Jack and everyone else were walking around in circles out there in the jungle.

SAWYER

And you believed him!

CHARLIE

I had no reason not to!

Suddenly, Locke appears nearby.

Charlie spots him and runs over to him.

CHARLIE (CONTINUES)

Locke, why aren't you with Michael? I thought that you were going to look with him for his son.

LOCKE

What are you talking about, Charlie? Michael personally asked me to look for his son on my own. He was supposed to return to camp and wait for Jack and everyone to come back.

SAWYER

Well, he had other plans in mind.

LOCKE

Such as?

SUN

He took Paige.

LOCKE

What!

SAWYER

Apparently, he is going to trade her for Walt.

LOCKE

Where?

CHARLIE

The place that Sayid and I followed the French woman to.

LOCKE

And how does he know about that place, Charlie?

SAWYER

It does not matter, and we are wasting time. We have to go after him now!

LOCKE

I agree. Let's go, Sawyer.

They start to walk off toward the jungle.

CHARLIE

Wait! I can help!

SAWYER

You did enough, Charlie!

He glares at him for a moment before following Locke into the jungle.

SUN

What did you do, Charlie?

Charlie turns to look at her and then toward the jungle.

CHARLIE

Someone has to tell Jack.

He starts to walk off toward the jungle.

INT. POST OFFICE – DAY

Paige places a manuscript and a letter in a priority envelope. She makes out the address to a publishing company based out of Manhattan. She seals the envelope and then proceeds to wait on line with other customers.

The MAN in front of her is reading the local newspaper. There is a picture of a young woman on the cover, who was strangled to death by her lover. The woman's face holds Paige's gaze for a few minutes before the man notices her staring at the picture.

MAN

It's a real tragedy. The woman had so much promise, and that sick bastard stole her away from this world.

PAIGE

Yeah. It's really sad how there seems to be so many of those people around.

MAN

You just have to know how to look out for them and not let them into your life.

PAIGE

Sometimes, we all can't be that lucky. Those types of people are hard to spot, and once they get into your life, it's hard to get them out.

The man lowers the newspaper and stares at Paige.

MAN

You sound like you speak from experience.

The line moves up toward the counter.

PAIGE

Maybe.

They're quiet for a moment.

MAN

He still in your life?

PAIGE

Not for long.

MAN

Good. You seem like a good person. I would hate it if another good one fell victim to those types of people.

POST OFFICE CLERK

Next!

MAN

Take care of yourself, Paige.

The man walks up to the counter and hands the clerk some letters.

Shocked, Paige stares after him. She sees him look back at her once before turning his attention back to the clerk. She shakes her head as she waits to be called next.

Looking down at the priority envelope in her hands, she stares at the return address. She wonders if that is how the man knew her name. She convinces herself that was the reason as she is called next.

EXT.ISLAND – NIGHT

Sitting in front of a fire, Paige studies Michael. She notices how he keeps his eyes averted away from her. Shaking her head, she looks away.

MICHAEL

So, why did you try to kill yourself?

He turns to look at Paige, who is staring out into the jungle.

PAIGE

You don't have the right to ask me that, Michael.

MICHAEL

Paige, you have to understand from my perspective why I am doing this.

PAIGE

I understand, but it is still wrong. I never thought that you would be like those people.

She looks at him.

MICHAEL

What people?

PAIGE

The ones that would do anything to get their way even to sacrifice whoever they could to do it.

MICHAEL

I am not sacrificing you, Paige.

PAIGE

Then, what are you doing?

MICHAEL

I was… I am going to trade you for Walt, but…

PAIGE

I was right. You are one of those people.

MICHAEL

But I was going to come back for you. I was not going to leave you behind.

PAIGE

Michael, you have no idea what these Others are capable of. You have no idea who they really are.

MICHAEL

Do you?

Paige looks away.

MICHAEL (CONTINUES)

Do you!

PAIGE

No.

Michael stares at her as Paige now keeps her eyes averted away from him.

EXT.JUNGLE

Charlie hurries through the jungle. He hears a twig snap and freezes in his steps. He looks around but doesn't see anyone.

Suddenly, Sayid emerges from the jungle, holding Shannon's body in his arms.

CHARLIE

Oh my god. Shannon! Sayid, what happened!

Sayid walks right by him without responding.

CHARLIE (CONTINUES)

Sayid!

He turns to see Kate and Jack walk out from the jungle.

CHARLIE (CONTINUES)

Jack, thank god. I have to talk to you. It's important.

JACK

Not now, Charlie.

CHARLIE

But Jack…

JACK

I said not now, Charlie!

He looks past Charlie at Anna Lucia and the other Tailies.

Charlie follows his gaze and stares at the strangers.

CHARLIE

Who are they?

JACK

Let's get back to camp, Charlie.

CHARLIE

But Jack…

JACK

What! What is it!

Charlie stares at him.

CHARLIE

It's nothing. It can wait. It can wait.

He walks past Jack and past Kate, who is watching him. He makes his way back toward camp.

EXT.JUNGLE

Locke and Sawyer walk through the jungle. They pick up on Michael's tracks. Yet, they proceed in his direction with caution.

LOCKE

Maybe we should let Michael trade Paige for his son.

SAWYER

What!

LOCKE

Think about it, Sawyer. If they are willing to trade Walt for Paige, we could then follow the Others back to their camp and get an idea of what kind of people they really are.

SAWYER

Forget it, Locke. If you want to follow Michael to that place, fine. Once they show Walt, we grab all of them and go.

LOCKE

And do you think the Others will just let us go?

SAWYER

Then, we find Michael and Paige now. We'll find Walt another way.

LOCKE

I don't think that Michael will go for that, and if we have a chance to find his son, I say that we take it.

SAWYER

And put Paige at risk?

Locke studies Sawyer.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

What!

LOCKE

I was just wondering about Kate.

SAWYER

Kate?

LOCKE

Yeah. If she knew how you felt about Paige.

SAWYER

What are you talking about, Locke?

LOCKE

It's obvious, Sawyer. You really care for Paige, but does Kate know that?

SAWYER

It's none of your damn business.

LOCKE

Fine. If you say so.

He starts to walk into the jungle.

SAWYER

I do care for Paige.

Locke turns to look at him.

LOCKE

But?

SAWYER

But I love Kate, okay? I'm still not letting anything happen to Paige. That girl's been through enough, and she needs someone to watch over her.

LOCKE

So, you're like a big brother to her?

SAWYER

Something like that. Now, can we move on?

LOCKE

Sure.

Sawyer walks past him into the jungle.

Smiling, Locke follows him.

INT. PAIGE'S HOUSE – DAY

Paige goes through the mail as she walks into the house. She freezes in her steps when she sees a letter from the publisher. She slips the letter in her book bag and puts the rest of the mail on the counter in the kitchen.

Hurrying to her room, she closes the bedroom door behind her and pulls the letter out of the book bag. She holds the letter carefully in her hands as she sits down in her desk chair. She takes a deep breath and tears the envelope open.

Reading the letter, tears start to run down her face. She wipes them away as she reads the letter again. She smiles and grabs the phone nearby.

Dialing his number, she waits patiently for him to answer the phone. She stares at the letter in her hand as she listens to the ringing. She is about to hang up when he answers.

MAN

Hello? Hello?

PAIGE

It's Paige.

MAN

I thought that you didn't want to speak to me again.

PAIGE

I didn't.

MAN

And now you do? You've been giving me the cold shoulder in school too.

PAIGE

Well, you deserve it for what you did.

MAN

Look, things got out of hand, and I'm sorry.

PAIGE

Sorry is not good enough.

MAN

Well, I can't take it back. I wish I could.

PAIGE

Do you really?

MAN

No, but you knew that. You just have to be so difficult, don't you, Paige? If you were a little more open to it…

PAIGE

I told you how I felt about it. You had no right. You had no right, and you don't even regret it.

MAN

So, are you going to the police?

PAIGE

No.

MAN

Then, why are you calling me?

PAIGE

Because it's over.

MAN

No kidding.

PAIGE

No kidding. In a few months, you'll understand.

MAN

And what the hell does that mean?

PAIGE

You'll see, and then you'll be sorry.

MAN

If you say so.

PAIGE

I say so. It's going to be a really good book.

MAN

Book? What did you do?

PAIGE

Is that fear in your voice, Dave?

DAVE

Bitch.

He starts to laugh on the phone.

PAIGE

What's so damn funny?

DAVE

I was just remembering how afraid you are to tell your parents things, and I can just imagine you shaking like a leaf as you tell them about us. I wonder what would hurt more, the fact that you wrote a book on it or that you just didn't tell them? Either way, you let them down. You disappointed them, and you shamed yourself.

PAIGE

Shut up. Just shut up.

DAVE

But I'm right. You know that I am right, aren't I, Paige? Aren't I?

Paige hangs up on him.

Tears stream down Paige's face as she sits in her chair for what felt like forever. She crumbles the letter up in her hand and shoves it in her underwear drawer. Nervously running her fingers through her hair, she tries to stop crying.

PAIGE

No matter what, Dave, I still win. I still win.

EXT. JUNGLE – DAY

Paige and Michael make their way through the jungle. Michael has his hand on Paige's arm. He looks around, unaware that Sawyer and Locke are close behind him.

MICHAEL

You seemed like you were having some bad dreams earlier.

PAIGE

It was nothing.

MICHAEL

Paige, I am still your friend.

PAIGE

A friend wouldn't betray me like this. Can we just stop talking?

MICHAEL

Fine.

Suddenly, they hear whispers. The sounds get louder as they look around themselves. The sounds seem to come from everywhere.

MICHAEL

What is that?

PAIGE

The Others. They found us.

Suddenly, a MAN walks out of the jungle. He stares at them for a moment. He looks around and raises his hand in the air. The whispers stop as he approaches Michael and Paige.

MAN

So, what's the plan, Michael? Trade her for your son?

MICHAEL

How do you know my name?

MAN

Oh, we know a lot of things. Your two friends, Locke and Sawyer aren't that far behind, so let's make this quick. Give me Paige, and I will lead your son back to your camp.

MICHAEL

Forget it. I want to see Walt now!

MAN

Well, I hate to disappoint you, but he is not with us at the moment.

MICHAEL

Where is he?

MAN

Safe and sound. Now, give me the girl.

PAIGE

Don't do it, Michael. He is lying. He has no interest in giving you back Walt.

MAN

Shut up, Paige.

He pulls a gun out from behind his back.

MAN (CONTINUES)

I will shoot you if you don't be quiet.

PAIGE

Military issue?

The man looks at the gun and then glares at her.

MICHAEL

Military issue? Who are you people?

MAN

I am not going to say this again, Michael. Give me Paige. Now.

MICHAEL

Or you'll shoot me?

MAN

I don't want to, but yes.

He readies the gun at Michael.

MICHAEL

No. I want my son first. Then, you'll get Paige.

MAN

You have no interest in giving me her. You never did.

MICHAEL

And you have no interest in giving me back my son! Right!

The man nods as he keeps his gun on Michael.

MAN

But I'll let you live. You can walk away. Just walk away, Michael. Now!

SAWYER

I don't think so.

Sawyer appears behind the man with his gun aimed at him.

Locke cautiously approaches Paige.

MAN

We just want her.

SAWYER

Why!

MAN

Because she is different.

MICHAEL

Like Walt.

The man nods.

MAN

So, what are we doing, gentleman? I don't have all day.

SAWYER

You forget that I am pointing my gun at you.

MAN

And I am pointing my gun at your friend here, so what's your point? I shoot him, and you shoot me? Is that it?

Sawyer and Michael exchange looks.

MAN (CONTINUES)

What is it going to be?

LOCKE

Where's Walt?

MAN

I'm not telling you.

He lowers the gun and turns toward Sawyer.

MAN

It doesn't matter. We know all about you and your camp. We can always take her later, and there won't be anything that you can do about it.

He starts to walk toward the jungle.

SAWYER

You forget that I still have my gun on you.

MAN

I didn't forget. You're just not man enough to use it. That's all.

LOCKE

Sawyer.

MICHAEL

Sawyer, don't. They'll hurt my son.

MAN

See? Even your friends know it.

He starts to walk off when Sawyer shoots him twice in the back. The man hits the ground dead.

MICHAEL

No! What did you do, Sawyer!

SAWYER

What I had to. Now, let's get the hell out of here.

MICHAEL

Damn it, Sawyer! They're going to hurt Walt now!

SAWYER

You should have realized that before you took Paige. What were you thinking, Michael?

MICHAEL

What were you thinking, man!

PAIGE

They won't hurt Walt. They need him just like they need me. Let's go before the rest of them come back.

LOCKE

And what if he is telling the truth? What if they do come for us and everyone back at the camp?

PAIGE

We'll have to be ready.

She starts to rub the scar on her arm.

INT. PAIGE'S HOUSE – DAY

A UPS box is delivered to her house. Her FATHER answers the door and signs for it. Taking it into the house, he calls Paige down.

Coming down the stairs, Paige sees the box in her father's arms. She stops in her tracks and looks from the box to her father.

FATHER

Well? Are you going to open it?

PAIGE

I'll open it in my room.

She reaches for the box, but her father pulls it away from her.

FATHER

Honestly, if it this is your first book, you should open the box with your mother and I in the same room. We are really proud of you, so let us enjoy this moment.

He carries the box into the kitchen.

Paige's mother is drinking coffee and reading the local newspaper at the kitchen table. She looks up to see the box in her husband's arms. A big smile spreads across her face.

MOTHER

It finally came. When will it be out in bookstores, Paige?

PAIGE

This week.

She approaches the box and slowly opens it.

Inside the box are several copies of her book, Strangers on the Street. She stares at the books for a few moments. Then, she nervously takes one and hands it to her father.

Smiling, her father reads the back of the book. His smile fades as he sits down in one of the kitchen chairs. He hands the book to his wife, whose smile slowly fades.

FATHER

Is this how you were going to tell us?

PAIGE

It wasn't an easy decision for me, dad.

MOTHER

And this is going to be out in bookstores everywhere?

FATHER

You need to call the publisher and have those books recalled back.

PAIGE

No. My story can help people.

FATHER

While you embarrass us, your family? Just go away. I can't look at you right now.

PAIGE

Mom?

MOTHER

Paige, just leave us alone.

Paige hurries up the stairs. Instead of running into her room, she runs into the bathroom. She looks under the bathroom sink for tissues when she sees a bag of razors.

EXT. JUNGLE

Paige stops walking as she looks down at her scar.

Sawyer, Michael, and Locke who have been following behind her stop walking and watch her.

LOCKE

What is it?

PAIGE

Nothing. It's nothing.

She starts walking back to camp again.

MICHAEL

She's been acting funny for awhile now.

SAWYER

Maybe she is upset about what you did.

MICHAEL

No, it's not that. It's something else.

LOCKE

I think Michael is right.

SAWYER

Are you kidding me, Locke?

Locke looks at Sawyer as Michael watches Paige walk away from them.

LOCKE

Prove me wrong, Sawyer. Go talk to her.

SAWYER

Fine.

He hurries up to Paige, who is still rubbing her scar.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

Scar still bothering you?

PAIGE

Just a little bit, Sawyer. It's nothing.

SAWYER

Paige, I'm glad you are alright.

Sawyer surprises her by hugging her.

SAWYER (CONTINUES)

It's okay. Everything is going to be okay.

Paige starts to cry.

PAIGE

I wish I could believe that, but things have only begun for all of us.

As he continues to hold her, Sawyer turns to look at Michael and Locke who exchange looks.

END


	6. Chapter 6

LOST: EPILOGUE ONE

Quiet waves roll onto the shore, kissing its sandy feet. Moonlight dances off the water and each wave that rolls under its white curtain. A gentle breeze ripples across the water toward the shore and the stranger walking along it. Sandy footprints vanish under each crash of water as the moonlight reveals the stranger to be Paige.

Ever since the Tailies joined the group and since the impending danger of the Others, tension has been growing among everyone. It is so thick that you can cut it like a knife. It is also making Paige physically sick. Yet, the tension remains and continues to strengthen.

Lately, Paige would find herself strolling by the shore at night. She stayed close to the beach and avoided the jungle. She rather enjoy the tranquility of the water than the fear of what really lies in or actually under the jungle.

"Paige!" She turns to see Charlie standing behind her. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a walk, Charlie."

"In the middle of the night?" Charlie hurries over to her. "Are you insane?"

"No." She ignores the look of concern on his face. "How are you doing? Have you and Claire patched things up?"

"No, and don't change the subject. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm only taking a walk, Charlie."

"Have you forgotten that they tried to take Sun before? She was alone too, you know."

"They're not after me, Charlie."

"Are you so sure about that, Paige?"

"Look, I needed to take a walk, okay?"

"Are you still avoiding Sawyer?"

"Now, who is trying to change the subject?"

"Look, you shouldn't be out here alone in the middle of the night. Let's go back to camp."

"No. I can't." Paige looks away.

"Why not?"

"Because the tension back at camp is seriously making me ill."

"Have you spoken to Jack about this?"

"No, Charlie. Jack and Locke have been preoccupied lately with the Hatch. Besides, pills won't make this feeling go away."

"What feeling?"

"Just a bad one. Can't we just sit here for awhile, please? Please, Charlie." Paige sits down in the sand and turns toward the waves coming toward the shore.

"Alright, but you should talk to Jack about this." He sits down next to her. "If anything, he could give you something to help you sleep."

"We'll see."

As they both turn toward the ocean, they are unaware of an Other watching nearby. He keeps himself well-hidden as his eyes remain locked on Paige. He leans closer, revealing a man that Paige had thought that Sawyer killed.

"Paige!"

Turning on her side, Paige is suddenly blinded by a bright light. She shields her eyes with her hand. She can't recognize the man standing over her.

"Paige, are you okay?" She recognizes Sawyer's voice. "Were you sleeping?"

"I guess I fell asleep." Paige sits up from the blanket on the ground. "What's going on, Sawyer?"

"I thought I just check up on you, see how you are doing."

"I'm fine."

"Really? Up all night and sleep all day? What are you? A vampire?"

"I see you spoke to Charlie."

"He asked me for something. He thought I would have it."

"Have what?" Sawyer hands her a bottle of sleeping pills. "Thanks, but I don't need these."

"Obviously. Look, Paige, we should talk."

"About what?"

"About us." He sees the look on her face. "You have been avoiding me."

"I'm giving you and Kate space."

"Are you giving Jack and Anna Lucia space too?" Paige looks at him. "Look, Kate and I have issues to work out. I'll admit that, but it doesn't mean that we can't be friends."

"Friends. We are friends, Sawyer."

"Then, tell me what is going on." He sits down next to her.

"I've just been on edge lately. Everyone is so tense, and it is…"

"Making you physically sick. Yeah, Charlie told me, but why won't you see Jack?"

"Because he is preoccupied. Besides, it won't change anything. Things are in motion, Sawyer. The Others are coming. It is not a question of if anymore but when."

"Any dreams, feelings on it?"

"No, but just a knot in my stomach."

"You should stay close to camp. Granted, I killed that guy that tried to take you, but we know there is more out there. I just wish I knew what kind of people we were dealing with."

"They're not what we think they are."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling."

"Do you know when they are coming?"

"No."

"Okay. Just promise me that you won't go off alone again, okay? I do worry about you, Paige."

"I know, Sawyer. I promise." She smiles at Sawyer, who returns her smile.

Later that day, Paige strolls around the camp. She notices that the camp seems emptier than usual and wonders where everyone has gone. She continues to walk around when she sees Hurley.

"Hi, Hurley."

"Hey. You look bored."

"I am. Do you know where everyone has gone?"

"Well, Sayid, Charlie and that Tailie chick went for a walk. They really didn't say where they were going. Sawyer and Kate…" Hurley looks away.

"It's okay, Hurley. I'm just Sawyer's friend."

"Well, they took a walk too, and Jin is helping Sun with her garden. Everyone else? I have no clue."

"Where are you off to?"

"I was gonna go to the… Ummm…"

"The Hatch?"

"Yeah…"

"Mind if I tag along? I like to talk to Jack."

"You feeling okay, Paige?"

"My stomach hurts, but that's really it. Do you mind?"

"No, that's cool. Well, not about your stomach. Come on."

Walking into the jungle, Paige's nerves tighten. Her eyes dart from direction to direction. The hair stands up on the back of her neck and on her arms. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

"Actually, Hurley, I think I will go back to camp." He turns to look at Paige. "I'll talk to Jack later."

"We're almost there, Paige." He studies her. "Wait. You're not getting one of your voodoo vibes, are you?"

"Voodoo vibes, Hurley?" She tries not to laugh.

As Hurley turns to look at Paige, he notices her smile freezes on her face. Her eyes grow wide in terror. She seems to be focused on someone standing behind him.

Suddenly, a fist lands right on Hurley's cheek. He stumbles for a moment. Then, he crashes down unconscious on the ground.

"Come on, Paige." The Other stares at her.

"But you're dead! Sawyer killed you!"

"He forgot to check my vest. Now, don't make me carry you."

"Well, can I have your name since you know mine?"

"Liam. Now, let's go!"

Blindfolded, Paige is led by Liam into some sort of tunnel. She could hear a metallic door open and then slam shut. There was a coldness in the air. Bright lights penetrate through the black blindfold.

Suddenly, Paige is blinded by those lights as the blindfold is taken off by Liam. As her eyes adjust to the fluorescent lights, she sees that she is in something resembling the Hatch. She notices shadows behind her, but she keeps her focus on Liam.

"Ready for the tour?"

"Lead the way."

"Well, if you haven't guessed yet, there are a lot of tunnels under this island. Actually, this island isn't on any maps, which amazes me that your helicopter and those people's plane managed to crash here."

"I heard their plane was off course before it crashed."

"And your helicopter?"

"Not exactly. Why are you giving me a tour, by the way?"

"I have to kill some time unless you want me to lock you up in a room."

"No! The tour is fine."

"Good. Well, as I was saying, nobody was supposed to know of this place. It was very, very top secret."

"So your people are military?"

"A few of us, but you could say that the Others… Well, most of them are genetically altered."

"Genetically altered?"

"If I go into more detail, I would have to kill you, but you are too valuable to kill."

"What did you do to the ones that you took?" Paige doesn't like the look on Liam's face.

Refusing to answer her, Liam leads Paige into a room that looks like an ER. There are six bodies on metal tables with white sheets over them. He leads Paige over to one and removes the sheet.

Trying not to retch, Paige stares down at an eyeless woman. Her mouth is fixated in a scream. Her flesh continues to fall away from her body.

"These were the failed ones. Would you like to see the other ones? They are far more worse than her."

"No." Paige holds back her tears as Liam throws the white sheet over the woman. "You monsters."

"We were successful in six others that we took. They are part of our family now just like you and Walt and maybe Michael will be."

"We'll stop you, Liam. Somehow, we will stop you."

"Really?"

Nervously, Paige watches Liam walk around the room. She keeps her eyes away from the bodies. She glances at the door but doesn't dare to risk it.

"As we are chatting, your friends, Sayid, Charlie, and Anna Lucia are walking into a trap. They will be joining us shortly." He notices the look of surprise on Paige's face. "Oh, I guess you didn't know. Jack and Sawyer have been preoccupied in the Hatch torturing one of my people."

"What!"

"Come see for yourself."

Grabbing her by the elbow, Liam leads Paige into a smaller room near the ER. The room is filled with computer screens. On most of the screens are pictures of the island, a picture of the abandoned hatch, and a picture of the hatch occupied by Jack and Sawyer. Right now, Paige watches Hurley tell Jack and Locke what happened to her.

"Let them come for you. I doubt they will find us. This is our island not theirs or yours." She doesn't like the look on Liam's face.

"Check this out."

Placing a tape into a slot under one of the screens, Paige watches Sayid torture the Other. She turns away, but Liam forces her to watch. She is shocked by what she is seeing and wishes to be somewhere else other than here.

"He will make a great addition to us."

"So, you kidnap people and turn them into… What? Freaks!" Liam spins her around toward him, and they are now face to face.

"Nobody asked you to come here."

"Nobody did ask to come here!"

"When my unit was dispatched here, we knew that nobody was coming back for us. Nobody! We were on our own! That is how the corporation wanted it!"

"Corporation?"

"And then you and them..." He points to Sayid, Charlie, and Anna Lucia who unknowingly walk by a camera, which must have been inside a tree. "What are we supposed to do with you? Ignore you? You have no idea what is on this island, the experiments that we were ordered to do, the monsters that we may have unleashed…"

"Like that black cloud of smoke thing?"

"We have the right, Paige, to do what we want to do to you because you are trespassers on our island, our home."

"You're insane, Liam."

"Maybe. But who is going to stop me? You? Jack? Anna Lucia? I like to see you all try. In the meantime, the tour is over."

Paige is dragged toward a holding room. She tries to break out of Liam's grip, but he is too strong. She is thrown into a white, padded room. She screams as Liam slams the metallic door shut and locks it.

"Let's see your people try and stop mine." He walks away from the door that has a glass window in the middle of it.

"You can't do this. Do you hear me? You can't do this!" Paige starts to cry.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Chapter 7

LOST: STORY'S END

By, Melissa Rachel

Hurrying toward camp, where he kept his medical supplies, Jack knew what he would have to do. Shadowed by Locke, he reached camp and tore through the supplies. He found what he was looking for, a syringe and two vials.

"Jack? What are you doing?"

"What I have to do, Locke to get the truth."

"This guy has been tortured by Sayid, and he still did not break." Locke watched Jack inject the liquid from the vials into the needle.

"He'll break this time." Jack turned to see Kate and Sawyer approach them.

"What's going on, doc?" Jack looked at Sawyer and then at Locke.

"What's going on, Jack?" Kate looked at him.

"We have an Other in the Hatch."

"What!"

"We have an Other in the Hatch, Kate." Jack looked at her. "He led Sayid, Charlie, and Anna Lucia into a trap, and Paige was taken by another one of his group."

"What?" Sawyer came closer to Jack. "They have Paige?"

"Yeah. They have her." Jack looked at Locke. "And I am going to find out where."

"Jack, he could still be telling the truth."

"Save it, Locke. I am done listening to you." Jack walked away from him. "We do things my way now. My way!" He is followed by Kate, Sawyer, and Locke.

"And where do you two think you are going?"

Spinning around toward Locke, Sawyer said, "If this Other is the only way of finding Paige and everyone else, then I am going to make sure that you do not interrupt Jack in whatever he has planned." He turned around and followed Jack.

"Fine." Sawyer ignored Locke's comment as Locke trails behind them.

Jin is fishing when Hurley walks by. Throwing his net into the water, he glanced over his shoulder at Hurley. Nodding at his wave, Jin then turned to look out at the ocean in front of him.

"How's the fishing going?"

"Good."

"Good." Hurley wandered closer to him. "How's Sun?"

"Good." He smiled at Hurley. "She is doing good."

"You mind if I fish with you?" Jin shook his head. "Good because I have to take my mind off… Things."

"Things?"

"Yeah, with Paige being abducted and the Others coming… It's really bugging me out." Jin looked at him. "I just need something to take my mind off…" He looked out at the ocean.

"Things?" Jin followed Hurley's gaze, and his eyes grow wide with surprise.

Hands bound and pushed forward, Sayid, Charlie, and Anna Lucia continued to walk in the direction that the Others want them to. They exchanged looks as they continue to walk through the jungle. Nobody said anything, and the tension is thick. Yet, they continued to walk toward the Others' place.

"I know you, don't I?" Anna Lucia walked alongside a woman with short, brown hair and brown eyes. "You were on the plane with us." The woman glanced at her. "You were taken by the Others."

"Keep walking if you know what is good for you." The woman walked away from her.

"What happened to you?" The woman froze in her steps. "What did they do to you?"

"Shut up and walk!" A young man shoved Anna Lucia from behind. "Let's go."

"Keep your hands to yourself." Anna Lucia spun around and is now face to face with him.

"Or you will do what?"

Suddenly, Anna Lucia punched him with both her fists in the stomach. Jumping over him as he fell down, she lunged at the next Other. Over her shoulder, she could hear Sayid attacking those near him. She turned to look at him when the woman suddenly grabbed Charlie by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Hey! If you two don't stop, he dies!" Charlie tried to break out of her iron grip but could not. "Understand?"

Anna Lucia and Sayid stop fighting as the Others stood back up. They watched the woman drop Charlie to the ground, who gasps for air. Their eyes returned to the woman, who stares coldly back at them.

"What did they do to you?"

"The same thing that they will do to you." The woman smiled at Anna Lucia as an Other grabbed Charlie by the arm and pulled him up. "Now, let's go!" They resumed walking forward.

Inside the Others' headquarters, Paige lied on the floor of her prison. She had her back to the door and prayed that Liam didn't come back for her. She closed her eyes when she heard the door open.

"I brought food." It was a girl's voice. "You should eat."

"I'm not hungry." Turning to look at the person behind her, Paige saw a girl around eighteen holding a tray of food.

"I'm Yearly."

"Paige."

"Paige, you should eat. Here." She put the tray down on the floor.

"I told you that I wasn't hungry." Paige sat up to look at Yearly better. "Are you one of them? An Other?"

"No. Not at first."

"Until you were genetically altered?"

"They don't alter all of us. It's jus t the ones that are different."

"All of us?"

"We… There are those from the plane crash here." Yearly started to leave the room.

"Wait! What are they doing to those people?"

"The ones that won't resist join them."

"And the ones that do resist?"

"They are killed." Yearly stared at Paige for a long moment. "You should not fight Liam. He is… Insane but very powerful. The smart thing would be to do whatever he asks."

"And if I don't?" Yearly sighed.

"I can see why they don't like those still roaming through this island, but you have no idea what they can do."

"Well, I will see now, won't I?"

"That you will." Yearly leaves the room. "But I wish you didn't." She stood outside Paige's room for another moment before walking away.

Screams echoed throughout the hatch. Angry voices followed quickly behind it. Spiraling through the structure, the sounds lead to the room, where the Other is kept and now writhing in pain.

"Damn it, Jack! You are killing him!" Locke tried to help the Other, but Sawyer stopped him.

"Back off, Locke. Jack knows what he is doing."

"Where are our friends being kept!" Jack leaned over the Other.

Lying on his back, the Other tried to breathe but felt as if he was being suffocated. He looked up at Jack and then over at Kate, Sawyer, and Locke. His gaze returned to Jack as he tried to talk.

"Where are they being kept!" Jack glared back at him. "If you tell me, I will stop your pain."

"Another hatch," the man barked as he clutched his chest. "By the Black Rock." He tried to breathe. "Make it stop. Now!"

"How many of you are there?"

"Jack, he told you where they are."

"Shut up, Locke. I'm not done with him yet." Jack glanced at Kate, who looks back at him. "How many of you are there?"

"Sixteen." The Other started to laugh.

"What's so damn funny?"

"You have no idea." His eyes moved toward a small, black pearl on a wall nearby. "You have no idea." The guy gasped one last time, and his head turned to one side.

"You killed him." Jack looked at Kate.

"What was he looking at?" Sawyer walked over to the wall. "This thing?" He pulled the black pearl out of the wall, which is followed by a thin wire. "It's a camera."

"They've been watching us the whole time."

"And they're going to be mad that you just killed their friend, Jack." Locke looked at him and then at the camera.

Suddenly, the black pearl is dropped to the floor. It rolled near Sawyer's shoe. Without hesitating, Sawyer slammed his foot on top of it, shattering it to pieces.

"Let those bastards guess what we are going to do next." Sawyer looked at everyone.

Everyone at the camp gathered near the water as the cruise boat got closer. Hurley and Jin run along the shore, waving their arms in the air. The boat came to a stop, and everyone watched a few men get into a raft that is lowered into the water.

"Someone should get Jack." Hurley looked at Jin.

"I'll go." Hurley watched Jin run into the jungle before turning to look back at the cruise ship.

Sayid, Charlie, and Anna Lucia are brought to a hatch similar to the one that Jack and Locke are in. They are forced inside. The door slammed closed behind them, and they turned to see Liam waiting for them.

"Welcome. I'm Liam."

"What the hell is this?"

"You must be Sayid. This man next to you must be Charlie, and you must be Anna Lucia." Anna Lucia doesn't like the look that Liam is giving her.

"And who are you? The ring leader?"

"Something like that, Anna. Can I call you, Anna?"

"No."

"Shame. Anyway, this way." He started to walk down the corridor.

"Wait a minute. You capture us and then expect us to just follow you? How about explaining yourself to us?" Sayid stepped in front of Charlie and Anna Lucia.

"I don't have to explain anything to you. Your people are trespassing on my island."

"Your island?" Liam looked at Charlie. "None of us asked to come here."

"That's what Paige said."

"Paige?"

"Your friend, Paige. You'll see her soon, Sayid."

"Wait a minute. You have Paige here?"

"Yes, Charlie, I do. I couldn't grab her last night while the two of you were walking along the beach, so I waited until earlier when I was able to catch her."

"Where is she!"

"Like I said, Anna, you will see her soon."

"We want to see her now."

"Sayid, you don't give the orders anymore. I do."

"And what's to stop me if I were to attack you right now?"

Suddenly, the sounds of guns are heard behind them. Everyone turned to see men and women putting some sort of tazer gun at them. They all turned to look at Liam.

"They'll stop you, Sayid. Now, let me show you where your rooms are."

As Jack, Locke, Sawyer, and Kate head out to rescue their friends, they bumped into Jin. They waited as he tries to catch his breath.

"What, Jin? What?" Sawyer looked at him.

"Boat. Boat. Coming to shore." Everyone looked at each other.

"A boat?" Jin looked at Jack. "Now?" Jin nodded.

"It might be the rescue that we have been waiting for." Locke looked at everyone. "Perfect timing."

"So, what do we do? We can't just leave Sayid and everyone with the Others?"

"Well, I don't know about you, Kate, but I certainly am going to go after them." Sawyer looked at her and then at Locke and Jack.

"Count me in." Locke nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Jin looked at everyone in confusion.

"Before we go through with the rescue, let's check out this… Boat."

"Jack…"

"I know, Sawyer. We will rescue Paige and everyone else, but first, we should find out what's going on. This could be a rescue, and if we can get some of our people on that ship, then they'll be safe from the Others there."

"I'm with Jack, but we should hurry. There is no telling what the Others are going to do to our friends." Kate looked at Jack and then at Sawyer before walking off toward the beach.

"Perfect timing." Sawyer shook his head as he followed everyone toward the beach.

Yearly returned to Paige's room. She opened the door and walked in. In her arms is a change of clothing. "Change into this."

"Why?"

"Because it is clean clothing, and you can discard those dirty clothes."

"And I'm supposed to change in front of you?"

"No. When I leave, you can change." Yearly started to leave the room.

"Wait!" She turned to look at Paige.

"Were you on the plane that crashed here?"

"Yes. I was in the tail section."

"So, why are you helping the Others?"

"Because they are not as bad as you might think."

"But Liam, like you said, is insane and powerful."

"He is not the only Other here on this island. Nobody is supposed to know of him. He was brought here to do genetic research…"

"On those that are different, and what about the other people on this island?"

"They are nothing like him."

"But they allow him to do what he is doing?"

"I've said too much. Just change into those clothes. If you do, maybe you can see your friends."

"My friends?"

"Yeah. Liam's people captured your friends, Charlie, Sayid, and Anna Lucia." She left the room.

"What is Liam going to do to them?" But Yearly doesn't answer her.

The captain of the cruise ship took in all the faces of the people that met him on the beach. He made his men wait by the raft. He started to approach Hurley when Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Locke, and Jin hurry over to him.

"Captain." The man now looked at Jack.

"I take it that you are the leader of these people."

"Yeah, I am."

"Can you explain to me how all of you came about being on this island? My ship was off-course, and this island is not even on our maps."

"Our plane crashed here."

"Your plane?" Jack told the captain the flight number and saw a look of shock cross his face. "I know that flight number. This girl, Paige wrote letters to the media, telling them that there were survivors of that flight. Yet, when the police started to investigate her, she disappeared. Nobody has seen or heard from her since."

"That's because she is here on this island." The captain looked at Jack. "And she and our friends were captured by a group of people that were living on this island before the plane crash." The captain studied Jack for a moment.

"How can I help you?"

"How many people can you take onto your boat?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have too much room, but I could take, at least, ten or so people on board with me."

"Okay." Jack turned to face everyone on the beach. "Listen to me! All of you. You have a choice to make. You can go on this boat with the captain, or you can stay here. If you decide to stay here, keep in mind that we still have to deal with the Others, and some of us will have to rescue our friends that were captured by them. Nobody can make you stay. It's your choice." Jack looked at the survivors of the plane crash. "It's your choice."

"I say we stay and get our friends back." Jack looked at Hurley.

"They need our help." Jin looked at Jack.

"And we can't just abandon them." Sun looked at Jack and then at everyone else.

"So, nobody is going with us?" The captain now stood beside Jack.

"We'll go." A few survivors stepped out of the crowd and walked toward the captain. "Some of us should tell the world that we did survive that plane crash and the rest of the survivors are here on this island."

"Okay. Let's go."

After good-byes and good luck are exchanged, Jack and the other survivors watched six of their friends board the large raft with the captain and his men. They stood closer together as the raft docked with the boat and raised back on board. Finally, they turned away from the boat and looked at each other.

"Let's go get our friends." Jack looked at everyone. "And show the Others that we are not afraid of them." He moved away from the beach, followed by his friends.


	8. Chapter 8

A warm October wind gently blew along a crowded street. Traffic lights blinked red to green. The thunderstorm of commuters crossing drowned out the rolling engines of the cars waiting. A shadow flew overhead, and the city went dark for but a moment. And then all was clear on this Monday morning.

Black shoes gently waltzed in-between the crowd. A long, braided ponytail touched a few arms and shoulders. The black business jacket did its job to conceal its weapon. This business-attired woman with a small, brown satchel blended in perfectly, and that was the whole idea.

A gentleman stepped out of his cab. He was right on time for his appointment. He even checked his watch to confirm that. He hardly noticed the woman with long braid brush right by him when he suddenly felt a stinging in his hand. His gaze fell upon a small, thin dart sticking out of his skin, and before he could react or say anything, he fell down to the pavement, dead. And the woman kept on walking.

A few blocks away from the gathering crowd standing over the victim, the woman pulled out her cell phone. She kept her back to those that passed by. Her eyes averted from the cops that raced to the scene of the crime. She cleared her throat and waited for him to answer. He would always answer, and she would always have to wait for him. "It's done."

"Well done, Paige." Ben's voice was heard clearly from the other side. "Time to come home."

"Excuse me?"

"You have to come back, Paige. You have to return to the island."

"That wasn't part of the deal, Ben."

"Don't question me, Paige. If it wasn't for me, you would be dead right now."

"People think I'm dead here and on the island. I can't go back. Too many bad things happened there."

"And they still are. You don't have a say in this. Meet Black at two p.m. at the dock. If you're not there, then our deal is over." Paige knew what that meant. "Paige?"

"I'll be there." She closed her cell phone. "Damn it," she muttered.

Hailing a cab, Paige quickly slipped in. She already knew one cop had looked her way, but it was too late. The cab was already in motion, and she would be at her apartment shortly. And then she would pack to return to a place, if you would call it that, that she wanted to forget, and she was lucky to have been back in the outside world for the last two-years. But now she was called back, and she did not want to know why.

Stepping out of the cab, Paige felt slightly dizzy. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the island around her. It never really did let go, and the first year back was the hardest. But then life finally started moving, and whatever Ben ordered, it was done. That was part of the agreement, the reason why she was not dead.

Closing the apartment door behind her, Paige sat down on the couch. She would pack in a few moments, but she wanted to remember what a couch felt like that. Her sixth sense was already telling her that she wasn't coming back this time. It was going to be a one-way trip now, and her fate would be sealed once she returned.

And so many people have died on that island. There were so many bad memories after she was captured, and she lost so many friends especially Charlie. If Ben had not rescued her, Liam would have killed her, and her name would have joined all the other fatalities. And the war between the survivors of the plane crash and the Others waged on until the new player arrived, someone with a bone to pick with Ben.

And despite the chaos reigning over the island, Ben kept her secret. During his own capture, he never revealed that Paige was still alive and never murdered by Liam, a man that Ben killed himself. He never spoke of where he was holding her, and in their time together, all they did was talk. He was fascinated with her abilities, interested in learning how to harnass them, and he was already planning on using them. But she didn't know it at the time.

The man that Paige killed was already on the discovery of the island, and its identity had to be kept secret. Those that made it onto the cruise ship before never made it back to talk of the plan crash or the island. Ben made sure of that, but he couldn't stop the Oceanic Six from returning. And maybe that was why she had to go back. There must be something going on at the island, but she didn't want to know. She didn't want to leave, but the fear of death wasn't what made her go. It was her fear of Ben, who was a far more dangerous man than she ever realized, and her life belonged to him. And he would never let her forget that.

It was time to go, and the packing was brief. Ever since her return, she was forbidden to contact anyone from her life, family and friends. She was told to live alone and not make friends. She was told to keep her cell phone at all times, and whatever Ben wanted, she had to do. She was told to keep the apartment simple and find a basic job to not draw any attention to her, and she complied. She only disobeyed Ben once, and one of his men had broken into her apartment the following night, stood over her bed, and flashed a long, jagged knife over her head. And after that, there was no more disagreement with him.

The wind had grown cold. The smell of salt water wafted up into the air. The scenery of boats rocking on gentle waves was one of beauty, but it chilled Paige. This was her farewell, and stepping onto the boat would be the finale.

"Paige."

Black was a large man. His gray hair was cropped around his ears. His eyes were dark, and his face was tan. He was the same man that had brought her back, and it was only fitting that he would now return her from where she came.

"Black."

"Shall we get to it then?" He offered a hand to help her on board, but Paige walked onto the boat herself. "Ben said you were in a pleasant mood." Paige ignored him. "The others should be arriving with him shortly."

"What? Others? Ben? He's here? He's not on the island?"

"Silly girl. He hasn't been on the island for the last couple of years. He left shortly after you did." Paige was shocked. "Didn't he tell you?"

"It would have been nice, if he did." She dropped her small luggage by her feet. "Who the hell is coming with him?"

"The Oceanic Six." He grinned, but Paige was not amused. "We have celebrities coming."

"Where's my quarters?"

"The same as before, but you can't go just yet." Paige was about to walk away. "Ben requested that you stay and greet him."

"And if I don't?"

"You don't want me to show you my knife, do you, girl?" Black laughed, and Paige realized that he was the masked man from that night so long ago. "I've been watching you since that first day back, and yes, that man was me."

"I should have known." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, how long do I have to stand here and wait?"

"Just another moment, Paige." Ben's voice was heard behind her, and it sent chills down her spine. "Don't you look so beautiful? Working out much?" Her glare only amused him more. "I do look forward to our conversations again." He took her hand and kissed it. "First, there is business to attend to." He walked onto the boat.

Paige felt eyes on her and turned to look at the Oceanic Six. She felt her face flush and turned away. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back at her old friends, who stared at her in awe and suspicion.

"I should have known." Sayid was the first to speak. "Everything that comes out of this man's mouth is hardly the truth." He surprised Paige with a hug. "What has happened to you all this time?"

"Ask Ben." Paige returned the hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"After our escape from Liam, I tried to save you, but Ben said he killed you." Sayid stepped away to approach Ben. "Why did you lie about her?"

"I was protecting her," Ben said.

"From what?" Jack now approached Paige.

"From you." Ben glared at him.

"And you talk about me being twisted." Jack looked at Paige. "I... We thought you were dead. Why didn't you find us when we got back?" He followed her gaze over to Ben. "I see."

"Jack, you look terrible." He laughed at Paige's words and gave her a brief hug.

"You're not dead, right? I mean... They hugged you, so it's you, right?" Hurley stumbled over to her.

"It's me." Paige suddenly found herself in Hurley's tight embrace. "Hurley. Hurley. I can't breathe."

"Sorry. My bad." He let her go. "I'm just happy that you made it. A lot of us didn't." He looked at his feet.

"I heard about Charlie."

"How..." He saw Paige point over at Ben. "Oh. Right." He moved away from her.

"Paige."

"Sun." Paige hardly recognized her, sensing a coldness now coming from what was once a gentle, kind woman. "Where's Jin?" Her eyes narrowed at Paige's question.

"Dead." Sun glanced at Jack, who looked away.

"Paige."

"Kate." Paige was afraid to ask about Sawyer. "Who's this?" She noticed a boy standing next to her. "He looks familiar."

"This is Claire's son." Kate turned to look at Ben. "If it were up to me, none of us would be returning with you, but having our lives threatened, I guess changes everything."

"I wasn't going to hurt the boy, Kate. You just needed some motivation."

"So, you don't mind if we go then?" Kate grabbed her son's hand. "You can go back, Jack, but I can't."

"Kate, I didn't say that I wasn't going to hurt you, if you don't go with us." Everyone looked at Ben. "You have to come back, but he doesn't."

"And who's supposed to take care of him, if I go back?"

"That's not my problem." Ben glared at her.

Suddenly, everyone turned to see Black carry a body on board. It was John Locke. He was dressed in a suit, ready for a funeral, but instead he was on board the boat with everyone here.

"Locke?" Paige covered her mouth.

"Yeah." Jack looked from Locke to Paige.

"Let's go." Ben looked at Black, who nodded. "We can't be late." He checked his watch. "Kate?" He noticed that she had not stepped on board yet. "I need a decision." Kate studied him and then looked over at Paige. "What will it be?" Kate stepped on board and held Arin tightly next to her. "Smart choice." The boat took off.

A few hours went by, and everyone mostly stayed to themselves. The Oceanic Six was not the same as they once were on the island. They changed. Some grew colder, and some just fell apart. And Locke was dead, but according to Ben, he wasn't really dead. Was that supposed to mean something?

Picking at her food, Paige hardly looked up when Jack entered the mess hall. She twirled her food around with her fork as he took a seat next to her. Her eyes moved over to his tray to find a beer on it, and she only shook her head. "What happened to you?"

"I should be asking you that." He took a sip of his beer. "All this time, I thought you were dead, and you were with Ben."

"He saved my life. He killed Liam."

"We tried to rescue you, Paige."

"And Ben arrived first, and now my life belongs to him." She pushed the tray of food away from her. "I have done horrible things for him, things that I would never have done once, but if I don't, I'm afraid that he will kill me."

"When we were on the island, you could've escaped. You could've found a way back to us."

"And you should have realized that Ben was lying. He lies about everything, Jack, but I'm alive, thanks to him."

"I'm glad you're still alive." He looked at her for a long moment. "We lost a lot of people back on the island."

"I know. Ben kept me updated. He was amused by my reactions. Charlie... I'm sorry about Charlie." Jack drank more of his beer. "I don't want to go back. There is nothing there waiting for me, but I know that I won't return. I don't think any of us will this time." He finished his beer.

"I need another. I'll be right back." He rose from the table. "Don't go anywhere..." He saw Paige leave the table. "Paige." He watched her walk out of the room.

Staring out at the dark water before her, Paige turned to her right to see Sun staring back at her. Sun's eyes were cold, heartless, and she was staring at Paige as if she were a goldfish in a bowl. There was no smile, no warmth but only a cold wind blowing off of the ocean.

"You missed a lot."

"I know." Paige had to watch her words. She didn't want to say the wrong thing to her, but she had to ask, "Why are you coming back?"

"Unfinished business." Sun looked out at the ocean. "You?"

"I don't have a choice. Whatever Ben says, I have to do."

"We all have a choice, Paige, and we all have to pay for it." She walked away.

Making her way down to the lower cabin, Paige slowly flipped on the lights. She saw Locke's body lying on the floor. She carefully made her way over to him and sat down beside him. There would have been a time, where she would have cried for him, but had she too grown so cold? Had she become like Sun or Ben?

"Paige." She looked up to see Sayid standing in the doorway. "What are you doing in here?"

"Paying my respects." She watched Sayid enter the room. "I missed him." She now looked at Locke. "I thought if anyone knew that I was alive, it would be him, and if anyone could find me, it would be him." A tear slipped from her eye. "But nobody ever came."

"Why did Ben take you off the island?"

"He said it was too dangerous for me to be there, but he never said anything about coming back."

"You don't want to go back?"

"No. There's too many bad memories there, too many deaths." Sayid knelt in front of her. "I wish I never went to the island."

"I wish I never left it." She stared at him. "Because I came back, the one I loved was murdered, and if I had stayed, she would be alive today."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I. Come. Let's get some air." He held out his hand in front of her for her to take.

"Okay." She shakily took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I need some air. So many things have changed. So many people have changed."

"You mean us?" Paige nodded. "I have not completely changed." She smiled.

"I hate to break up this reunion, but I need Paige." Ben appeared in the doorway.

"I have to go." Paige moved away from Sayid.

"Wait. Ben, haven't you held her prisoner long enough? How can you do this to her?"

"I saved her life, Sayid. She belongs to me." Ben held out his hand toward Paige.

"Paige, you don't have to go with him."

"Yes, I do." She took Ben's hand, and Ben smiled at Sayid.

"We should be at the new coordinates for the island soon." He walked away with Paige.

Hurley walked over to the Sayid and watched Ben lead Paige away from them. He gazed over Sayid's shoulder at Locke. Then, he stared at his feet.

"What is it, Hurley?"

"You may not want to believe this, but Locke's alive. I just saw him a minute ago, and he told me to come here and talk with him." Sayid stared at him. "Yeah. I'm a loon. I know." He was surprised by Sayid's hand now on his shoulder.

"You're not crazy, Hurley. None of us are." He looked toward the direction, where Ben and Paige had disappeared.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Sayid walked away from him.

Sitting on the deck at a small table covered in a white linen tablecloth, Paige turned toward the ocean. She breathed in the sweet, salty air of the ocean. She ignored the bottle of red wine that Ben had just opened. She just wanted to escape into her own room when their conversation was over.

"Cheers." Ben handed her a glass filled with red wine.

"What are we celebrating?"

"The return to the island, of course." He sipped his wine.

"Why?"

"Because we are needed. My people inform me that things were never the same once we left, and they need us."

"Are they still waging war against the survivors of the plane crash?"

"No. That war has been over for some time. Some of the survivors joined my people actually."

"And those that didn't?" Paige still had not touched her wine.

"They weren't killed, Paige."

"Then, what happened to them?"

"They're our prisoners." Ben folded his hands together in front of him. "We couldn't let them wander around the island especially if we do get some unwanted visitors."

"So, you are still having problems with that guy?"

"For now. Drink your wine, Paige."

"Is Jin dead?" Ben looked surprised. "Is he dead?"

"Yes." Paige pushed the wine away from her, but Ben pushed it back toward her.

"There was nothing anyone could do to save him, but Sun lived. And she had a baby."

"Sun had a baby?"

"Yes."

"Then, why did she come back? Why did she leave her baby behind?"

"Revenge." Ben finished his wine. "Drink your wine, Paige. Then, get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow." Paige slowly drank her wine.

Jack watched from a distance. He noticed Ben's eyes moved toward him and then slowly away. He looked out at the surrounding ocean. Part of him wanted to jump into those dark waves, but part of him wanted to find out why Paige was at Ben's mercy. What was he holding over her? What was it because he did save her life?

Paige shuddered. She looked over her shoulder to see Jack watching her. Their eyes met for a moment, and then she watched Jack walk away. She was alone, and part of her wanted to follow him. But she dared not get close. She knew Black was keeping tabs on her, and she would not be the cause of anyone's death. In fact, she would make sure that nobody died this time. It was her turn to protect the survivors of the Oceanic flight, if there were any survivors left on the island.


	9. Chapter 9

A gentle breeze rolled through the jungle. Droplets of rain slid off leaves. Trees swayed in the breeze. Night was falling fast, but the light of the sky refused to fade.

"Paige."

Opening her eyes, Paige found herself staring up at Locke. She was lying on the moist ground, and he was holding his hand out toward her. She picked her head up, confused as to how she had returned to the island, and she looked around. She looked back at Locke, who continued to hold his hand out for her to take.

"How did I get to the island? I went to sleep on the boat." She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. "How did I get here?"

"Oh, you're still on the boat with my body." He gazed at her. "But I called to you. We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About Ben." Paige and Locke gazed at each other. "I need you to do something for me."

"Like what?"

"Ben doesn't plan to bring me back. He's just using me as a way to get back to the island, and once he's here, he won't need me. He'll leave me on the boat and sink it into the ocean, and I can't let that happen."

"Not much you can do about it, Locke."

"Well, that's where you come in, Paige. You're going to make sure that my body gets off that boat and back onto the island."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Find a way." He moved closer to her. "You can't trust Ben. When he has no more use for you, he'll kill you or leave you somewhere, where no one else will know." Paige flinched at those words. "I'm your only hope."

"Jack. Jack can help me."

"Jack is an alcoholic, and Sayid is in Ben's pocket. They can't help you, but I can. You better decide soon, Paige because you're almost here." He touched her face, and his hand was ice cold. "Time is running out."

Sitting up in her bed, Paige realized that Ben was standing in the room. He lingered near the bed, watching her like a hawk. There was no smile pulling at his lips, and his eyes were dark, cold.

"Must have been some kind of dream you were having." He moved closer to her. "I could almost swear that you said a name. Locke."

"It was just a dream, Ben."

"But you dreamt of the island, didn't you?" Paige looked at him. "What did he want?"

"What did who want?"

"Don't play with me, Paige. What did Locke want?"

"To be saved."

"But we are saving him. We''ll have him back on the island before you know it." He made his way toward the door. "If I were you, though, I wouldn't go too far."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Paige to not forget our agreement." He walked out of the room.

Throwing the covers to the side, Paige pulled herself out of bed. She was wearing a t-shirt and pj bottoms. Her feet were bare, but that didn't stop her from walking across the cold floor. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that had become loose during her tossing and turning, and she pulled the band from her hair, letting her hair fall down around her shoulders.

Making her way down to where Locke's body was, she kept replaying the dream over and over in her mind. She could feel the jungle around her, underneath her. She was there, but she wasn't. She felt Locke's hand, his touch, and she knew he was alive. She wondered if he was alive, was he sleeping like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty? What would happen to him, if she could not save him, and what would happen to her, if she did?

Stepping into a dimly lit room, she could make out Locke's body lying on the floor nearby. His eyes were closed, and his arms rested at his sides. When the lights flickered on, there was a look of peace on his face as if he was having a pleasant dream, but instead, he was on the island, waiting to be reunited in body and soul. What was his connection to the island, and why was he able to call to her? What was his connection to her?

Resting against a wall, Paige gazed at Locke. He was a survivor, a fighter, and he did not want to leave the island. So, why did he? What happened there that made him return to the real world? How did he die, and could she save him?

"Paige?"

For a moment, she saw Locke stand beside her. He gazed at her for a moment and then over at his body. Then, he shook his head and sighed. "Paige." She blinked. "What are you doing?"

Paige realized that it was Jack, and he was holding a small liquor bottle in his hand. She could smell the alcohol on his clothes and breath. She looked into his tired, red eyes and shook her head. Maybe Locke was right about the once good doctor.

"You should be asleep." Jack sat next to her. "It's late. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Bad dreams." Paige returned to gazing at Locke. "He's not dead." Jack looked over at Locke. "He's waiting."

"Waiting? Waiting for what?" He took a swig from his bottle. "He's not waiting, Paige. He's dead." He stared at the bottle for a moment and then held it out toward her.

"No thanks. I think you drank enough for us both." Jack looked at the bottle and then put it on the floor. "What happened to you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Paige looked away. "I don't know why you're with Ben."

"Not by choice." Paige drew her knees up under her chin. "Maybe I should have died back in that crash on the island."

"You shouldn't say such things."

"Being on that island changed me." She looked at Jack. "It changed you."

"I'm still me." He put an arm around her. "I'm just going through a rough time. That's all." Paige laughed. "What?"

"Nothing." Paige shook her head. "I'm just glad to see you again. It's been too long."

"I know."

A moment of quiet passed between them. The waves of the ocean rocked the boat, and Jack's bottle started to roll from side to side. The gentle rocking comforted Paige, and she started to fall asleep against Jack. She felt like finally, maybe everything would be alright, but she never saw the concern in Jack's eyes as he watched her sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

LOST: Awake

If heaven were visible, it would be the sun meeting the ocean. Blue waves turned golden. Gentle currents rocked softly under warmth. Brilliant colors flickered across the sky and along the surface of water. The essence of morning, a new day hung in the air, and the ocean hungrily licked at the rays of the rising sun.

A small raft swayed in the ocean's embrace. A lone figure lied curled on one side. Rays of the sun ran across pale skin, a soft face, and folded hands. A gentle wind swept across the plastic surface and through the long, brown hair hung over a shoulder.

Sitting up in the raft, Paige rubbed her eyes. Her head hurt like she was hung over. Her stomach growled from hunger, or was it nausea? Her eyes adjusted to the brilliant light from the rising sun and then grew wide at a disturbing realization. How did she wind up on the raft, and where was she?

Jumping to her feet, Paige nearly fell backward into the waiting water. She quickly steadied herself and then rose again, slower this time. Turning her head, all she saw was the ocean. Where was the boat? Did she go overboard, but then how did she wind up on the raft? Was that thrown overboard to safe her, but why wasn't she pulled aboard again? What happened to the boat? What happened to the Oceanic Six and to Ben?

"Ben. What did you do, you bastard?" Paige grew more frantic. "What did you do," she screamed into the air. "What did you do?"

A large shadow fell over the raft. A strong wind blew around Paige. Currents of water became sharper, stronger. Something wasn't right.

Looking over her shoulder, Paige saw the island. She was heading straight for it, or it was like she was being pulled straight toward it. And there was no escape. She was back to a place, where she did not want to be.

In the growing distance, she saw Locke standing near where she would land. She did not like the look in his eyes. Her gaze was held with his for a moment, and then he sadly shook his head. With that gesture, he vanished right before her eyes.

"This is not going to be good," she whispered to herself.

"Where the hell is Paige?"

Storming into a large room, where Ben and Sayid were discussing something in private, Jack grabbed Ben. He pinned him down on the table behind him. Blueprints rolled onto the floor. He raised a fist into his face. "Where is Paige?"

"Jack, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Where is she!" Sayid tried to pull Jack off of Ben. "Get off of me, or you're next, Sayid."

"Jack. This is crazy. Paige is on the boat."

"No, Sayid. She's not. She's gone, and he knows why." Jack leaned closer to Ben. "What did you do?"

"I told you, Jack. I didn't do anything." Ben stared up at him. "Maybe she fell overboard."

"Maybe you pushed her. What's the matter? You didn't want her to bring Locke's body back to the island? Is that it? Why the hell did we bring him with us, if you were going to leave him on the boat?"

"Is this true?" Sayid looked at Ben. "Is what he said true?"

"If he lets go of me, I'll answer the question." Jack released Ben. "Yes. I did not want Locke's body returned to the island, but I had nothing to do with Paige disappearing off the boat."

"I don't believe you."

"Jack, he might be telling the truth." Sayid looked from Jack to Ben.

"Everything he says is a lie. It's a damn lie." Jack ran his hand over his head. "I can't believe I was trusting you before."

"You can still trust me." Ben gave him a small smile, but then it faded. "I need to know what happened to Paige."

"So would we," Sayid responded.

Stepping cautiously into the room, Kate surveyed the three men before her. Her eyes fell on Jack, and she sadly shook her head. Her gaze then shifted to Ben. "She's gone."

"How is that possible?" Sayid looked at her.

"I don't know." She looked at him and then at Jack. "I don't."

"With any luck, she should be on the island. We're close enough now." Ben moved away from them. "Let's hope that she made it." He started to leave the room.

"That's it?"

"What am I supposed to say, Jack? This wasn't my doing."

"I don't believe you."

"Enough, Jack."

"No, Sayid. I'm done trusting him. As soon as we dock, I'm taking Locke's body off this boat, and I am bringing him back to the island." He stepped closer to Ben. "And you won't get in my way when I do that."

"You don't like him as much as I don't, so why bring him back?"

"Because maybe when we get to the island, he can find Paige." Jack stormed past Ben and out of the room.

Pulling the raft onto shore, Paige turned toward the ocean. She never did have sea legs, and she was grateful to be standing on solid ground once again. But there was a knot forming in her stomach now, and she did not have a good feeling about being back on the island.

A twig snapping in the distance caught her attention, and her head spun toward the sound. Her eyes fell on forest, but she knew someone was there, someone was watching her. Voices in the wind created chills down her spine, and another twig snapped in the distance. Whoever was out there was getting close, and the knot tightened in her stomach.

Moving quickly, Paige headed away from the noise. She disappeared into forest and kept moving. Her feet stumbled over ground, over vines, but she wouldn't stop. She knew that she was in danger, and they were growing closer.

Something grabbed her from behind and pinned her to the ground. She let out a scream, but it was cut short with a hand pressed firmly over her mouth. Someone was lying on top of her now, and she tried to turn her head to see who it was.

"Don't scream." A voice hissed inside her ear. "Do you understand me?" Paige slowly nodded her head.

Pulled to her feet, Paige was spun around toward a man that held her firmly. Her eyes quickly scanned the area, but there was no escape from him. She could already tell that he was stronger, faster than she was, and all she could do was look at the man that now held her prisoner.

"Sawyer?" The man looked at her in surprise. "What happened to you?"

"You should never have come back, Paige." He pulled her closer. "We have to move. They're still coming."

"Who? What's going on?" She was pulled into the forest. "Sawyer. What's going on?"

"Shut up, and move. Or they'll kill us." He broke into a run, pulling Paige with him deeper into the forest.

Leaning over the railing of the boat, Sun stared out at the ocean. Her eyes took in the sun, which was now high in the sky. She felt a gentle breeze on her face. Her hands were folded together, holding a thin, gold chain.

Looking down at the chain, she remembered pulling it from Paige's unconscious body. She hoped she did the right thing without setting off any alarms. She did not want the others to know what she had planned. It wasn't time yet, and she was almost to the island. Then, she would have her revenge. "I'm sorry, Paige, but you would've gotten in the way," and she dropped the chain into the water below.


	11. Chapter 11

LOST: Unknown

A heartbeat thundered in the dark. Sweat glistened along pale skin. Jagged gasps of air escaped into a blur of greenery and trees. Broken ground behind reflected the fear and panic in one still running, in one running for their life, and there was no time to stop. Another heartbeat exploded into the darkness.

Sitting up in bed, Paige looked around a small, gray room. There was one door leading out, and it was closed, probably locked. A small table nearby held a plate of food and a glass of water with a wooden chair pulled out toward the bed. The light above was dim, and the tiled floor below was cold. And Paige remained sitting in her bed.

"How... How did I get here?"

All she could remember was Sawyer gripping her hand and running through the woods. She tripped and stumbled along the ground, but he never stopped to let her catch her footing. He just pulled her further into the wilderness, and she kept running. And then he stopped.

Slowly, Paige raised her hand and felt a bruise on her cheek. She winced as her fingers delicately traced it along her face. Heat bit into her skin, and she could almost imagine the small, black and blue mark that was forming. And she remembered that Sawyer was the one that struck her.

"I can't believe he hit me."

Suddenly, the door opened, and Sawyer walked in. Someone closed the door behind him, and he remained where he was standing, studying Paige. Slowly, he grabbed the chair and sat down in it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry about that." He gestured toward the bruise. "I just couldn't risk you seeing where I was taking you."

"You could have blindfolded me."

"There was no time, Paige, and they were coming."

"Who are they?"

"You're going to answer my questions first, and then I'll answer yours." He leaned closer to her. "Where did you come from?"

"What do you mean?" She swung her legs out over the bed and delicately touched the floor. "Where did I come from? I came from a boat." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does it matter?"

"Is Locke with you?" He noticed the look on her face. "Is he with you? Is he on the boat?"

"He's dead." Sawyer leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. So am I." He shook his head. "He wouldn't say why he was going but that he was getting help. And instead, here you are, and he's dead."

"He might not be dead." Paige looked down at her hands.

"You just said that he was, Paige." She looked at him. "Is he dead, or is he alive?" He rose from his chair and approached her. "Is he dead?"

"He is, and he isn't. I don't know. I've been seeing him, talking to him, but his body is on the boat. And if Jack can bring his body back to the island, then..."

"Jack?" Sawyer and Paige stared at each other. "Jack's alive?"

"Yeah."

"And... And Kate?"

"She's with him and Sayid, Hurley, Sun, and..."

"And?"

"And Ben."

"They're all alive?" He slowly sat back in his chair. "I thought... I thought that they were dead. All this time, I thought that they were dead." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Why didn't Locke tell me?"

"They made it home." Sawyer looked at her as tears ran down his face. "They made it home."

"Why? Why are you coming back now?"

"Because of Locke. He came to get us, and I don't know what happened to him. But we have his body, and if they can bring him back to the island, then he may not be dead. But don't ask me about that because I know how crazy it sounds."

"Where's Jin?" Paige closed his eyes. "Did he stay back, or did he come with you too?"

"He's dead. I'm sorry." Sawyer rose from his chair. "I'm sorry."

"This is too much." He started to walk toward the door.

"Sawyer." Paige jumped off the bed. "Please. Don't leave me in here. Ben kept me locked up in a similar room, and I don't want to stay in here. Please." Sawyer looked over his shoulder at her. "Please."

"I'm sorry, Paige. You have to until I know what to do with you." He banged on the door. "We can't take any chances especially with them out there."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get to that boat before they do." The door opened. "I'm going to get some answers, and let's just hope for your sake that you're not lying to me." He walked out of the room.

"I'm not lying." The door slammed closed. "Sawyer! They're coming! Locke is coming back! Sawyer!" Paige hit the door with her fist. "Sawyer!"

A cool breeze rolled off the ocean. A sweet, salty smell filled the air. Gentle waves touched the shore and then rolled back past a docked boat. The sound of water flowing would have brought peace to anyone listening, but something ominous overwhelmed any sense of peace. And a darkness was growing over the island.

Jack and Sayid carried Locke's body off the boat. Hurley tried to help them, but when Sun tried to assist them as well, he quickly moved away from them. With an exchange of looks, Jack and Sayid was able to lower Locke's body gently down on the sand.

"Now what?" Ben walked up to them. "Will he be like Sleeping Beauty and just open his eyes?"

"I don't know." Jack looked over his shoulder at him. "We just have to wait and see what happens." He glanced at Hurley, who quickly walked by him.

"I'm going to take a look around." Sayid moved away from him. "Hurley?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep your eyes open for anything." Sayid walked off.

Nodding, Hurley glanced at Sun, but when she returned his gaze, he looked away. He turned toward the ocean and then at the boat. He could feel Jack's eyes on him, but he would not look at him. How could he tell him? How could he tell him what Sun did to Paige?

"Black." Ben moved toward his man, who stood beside the boat. "Do not leave the boat. Understand?" His man nodded in response and walked back onto the boat. "Good." Ben looked down at Locke. "Now, all we need is for him to wake up."

Kate stood nearby with Claire's son in her arms. She gazed out at the island. She got the sense that someone was watching, someone familiar, but why weren't they showing themselves?

Deep in the forest, Sawyer gazed back at Kate but found that he could not move. He stared at the boy in her arms. Was that her child or Claire's? How could he tell her everything that he had done after she was gone? How could he explain about Julia?

"Jack."

Slowly, Jack turned toward Locke. He knelt down and found a faint pulse. He watched as Locke struggled to open his eyes. His breathing was ragged, and he was trying to say something. And Jack held him by the arm, trying to understand what he was trying to say.

"Jack... We... We have to move before they find us. We have to go... Before it's too late." He grabbed Jack by his shirt's collar. "We have to go. Now!"


	12. Chapter 12

LOST: Memories Afloat

In the darkest corners of our mind, there is no escape. There is no escaping what we fear the most and keep hidden deep in our hearts. There are no lies that we can hide behind, walls that we can shield ourselves with. It is just us and the darkness, and it is just us and our fear. And there is no escape but to succumb to emptiness or to fight the darkness.

1.

The walls were closing in. The dim light overhead continued to flicker. No sound, no life echoed around the room. There was nothing, nothing but the fear of what was to come.

Slowly, the door opened, and Ben walked into the room. His eyes scanned the room and then settled on the untouched tray of food and water that was left on the table. A frown pulled at his lips but quickly vanished, and his gaze fell upon Paige, who remained with her back to the wall and her knees drawn up under her chin.

"You can't go on like this, Paige. You have to eat." He moved over to the tray. "You need your strength." He looked back at her.

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

"Nobody is killing you, Paige."

"Then, let me go!" She and Ben stared at each other. "Please. Don't keep me in here. Let me go back to Jack, to Locke. I don't care, but please, don't keep me in here."

"You're not a prisoner, Paige." He pulled a chair out from under the table. "You're free to go whenever you like." He pulled the chair further out. "First, you have to move the chair."

"I told you. I can't. I can't make it move."

"We know about your visions, Paige. That's how it starts, and you've been using your mind a lot since they started. So, you are ready for the next step. Now, instead of just staring at the chair, imagine it moving. Use your mind." He patiently waited near the chair. "Come on. Once you make it move, you can leave."

"That's it?"

"That's it. You can go back to Jack." He smiled thinly. "Make the chair move." He watched Paige focus on it, but nothing happened. "Try harder."

"I've been in here for weeks now, and the damn thing won't move." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't do it."

"Then, I guess you're not leaving." He moved toward the door. "Like I said, if you want out, make the chair move." Paige started to cry. "It's really not that hard, Paige." He started to close the door behind him. "I have faith in you." He closed the door behind him.

"I can't do it!" Paige cried harder. "I can't do it!" She turned toward the chair. "It's impossible," she cried.

2.

Rising from the ground, Locke took in his old friends. Time was not so kind to Jack, seeing the pain and sadness in his eyes. Surprise touched his face as he saw how Kate kept Claire's son next to her like her own child. Sadness touched his heart at Sun's coldness. Disappointment almost clouded his eyes as he stared at Ben, wondering how he should deal with him.

"Welcome back, John."

"Ben." They studied each other for a moment. "I guess I should thank you."

"For what?"

"For sending the island here. Do you have any idea what you did?"

"I don't know what you mean, John."

"We'll leave that for later. First, we need to go. Now." He looked around the wilderness before them. "Sawyer! I know you're there. Come out of hiding. We have to move."

"Sawyer?"

Spinning around, Kate saw a man resembling Sawyer but stronger, tougher walking toward them. A smile hardly touched his face. His hands were bruised. His eyes were cold as they settled on Jack, but a warmness filled them as they focused on her. "Sawyer?"

"Kate." He awkwardly stood near her. "Jack." His gaze now settled on him. "Thought you were dead."

"No." Jack looked from Sawyer to Kate. "It's good seeing you."

"Likewise, doc."

"We have to move. Now." Locke started toward the wilderness. "We should get underground before dark."

"Why?" Locke turned toward Hurley. "What are we running from?"

"Locke?" He now turned toward Sayid. "You're alive?"

"That I am, Sayid, and we need to move." He continued to walk.

"Locke." Jack moved alongside him. "What are we running from?" Locke stopped walking. "What's going on here?"

"You don't want to know, Jack."

"You brought us here." Sayid was now right beside him. "We have the right to know what you got us involved with."

"In due time, Sayid." Sawyer moved past him. "Locke's right, though. We have to get underground before dark."

Sun remained standing near the boat. She held something small, silver in her hand. It felt like a coin under her fingers, but it was more than that. It was a metallic, computerized disc for tracking locations, for someone to find them.

Dropping the coin-like object onto the sand and kicking sand over it, Sun sighed. It was almost time for her revenge. She would avenge Jin. Sensing eyes on her, she turned toward the ocean and was shocked to see Jin standing on the water, glaring back at her. "Jin," she whispered.

"Traitor," Jin said in Chinese. "Traitor."

"Jin..."

"Sun!" She turned toward Jack. "We have to go." She swung back toward the ocean, but Jin was gone. "We have to go."

"Jin..." Sun quickly composed herself and followed after Jack and the others. "I'm coming." She never looked back.

3.

Focusing on the chair, Paige let out a scream of frustration. She had lost so much time since being locked away from everyone on the island. The woman with blonde hair that brought her food hardly spoke to her but checked her like a doctor would to make sure she was physically okay. But did she care about the mental, the emotional scars left behind?

"Damn it." Paige kicked the chair over with her foot. "They're crazy. I can't make this piece of furniture move." She glared down at it. "Can I?" She picked it up and slowly backed away.

Taking a seat on her bed, she put all her focus, all her energy on the chair before her. Her brow creased as she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Her eyes focused on the chair, and to her surprise, it moved back an inch.

"I did it!" She made the chair move another inch back. "I moved the chair!" She jumped off the bed and ran toward the door. "I moved the chair! Do you hear me? I moved the chair!"

Disappointment surrounded her as she got no response. She stared at the metal surface of the door, wishing to almost melt through it and be freed to go outside. If only she could taste freedom again, savor a fresh breath of air, it would be enough to know that this nightmare was finally over.

Suddenly, the door before her opened, and Ben walked in, smiling brightly. His eyes shifted from Paige, who backed away from him to the chair. Nodding in approval, Paige started to move toward the door, but Ben quickly slammed it closed behind him.

"Why? Why did you do that?" Paige looked confused. "You said that if I move the chair that I can go out. I can go back to camp with Jack and Locke."

"Not exactly." Ben watched her carefully as his words were digested. "We're not done yet."

"You said that I could go. You said that I could be free, if I moved that damn chair."

"And you moved it, and I'm very happy about that. But we're not done with you, Paige." He saw fear flicker in her eyes. "We're just getting started."

"What do you want from me?" She felt like a caged animal. "What?"

"You want outside this room?" He watched her nod. "Then, for your next test, unlock the door."

"Are you going to give me a key?" Ben shook his head. "Then, how the hell am I going to unlock that door behind you?"

"Use your mind. It's a simple lock. Nothing complex."

"You're a bastard." He smiled at her words. "You lied to me." She shook her head. "I won't do it. I won't do it."

"Then, this room is your home." He moved back toward the door. "Get use to these walls." He knocked on the door with his fist. "You'll never see the outside again." He turned around as the door started to open.

"Wait!" Paige was almost right behind him. "Okay. Okay. I'll try."

"Do better than try, Paige." He looked over his shoulder at her. "I have plans for you." He walked out of the room, leaving Paige alone.

"I have plans for you," echoed around the room as Paige stared at the door.

4.

"There are no more Oceanic 815 survivors or the Others," Locke began as he led the way toward an underground tunnel. "We became a... Family." His gaze shifted over to Sawyer. "Everything was fine in the beginning." He glanced at Ben. "Then, things changed." He entered the tunnel, followed by everyone else.

"What happened?" Sayid walked behind him.

"They came, and they started to kill us off. One by one. We were lucky that the Others had known about these underground tunnels. They saved our lives."

"Won't they come underground?"

"No, Jack." Sawyer was right beside him. "For whatever reason, they don't like going underground."

"How many of you are left?" Ben's gaze shifted from Sawyer to Locke.

"Enough." Locke paused to look at him. "Now, we have to find Paige before we do anything else."

"What does Paige have to do with this?" Everyone looked at Sun. "We don't even know if she made it to the island."

"She did, Sun." Sawyer looked at her. "I have her."

"Good." Locke continued down the tunnel.

"Wait. Wait a damn minute. Why do you need Paige?" He moved ahead of Locke. "What does she have to do with this?"

"She's the key, Jack. You can ask Ben why she's the key." He continued down the tunnel as Jack turned toward Ben.

"Don't look at me, Jack. I have no clue as to what Locke is referring to." Jack walked right up to him. "Honestly, Jack, I don't know what he is talking about."

"What did you do to her? When you had her locked away from us, what did you do to her?" His hands curled into fists at Ben's silence. "I asked you a question."

"And I'm not answering it."

"Hey! You'll get your answers, doc, but not now. Keep moving." Sawyer glared at him and Ben. "We have to go."

Slowly, Ben walked past Jack, almost smiling. He shifted his gaze over those around him. They had no idea, but he knew. He knew what Paige could do, and she was his to control.


	13. Chapter 13

LOST: Steps Taken

1.

Freedom is eternity's dream. To live in this world and live how we want to live is the air that we try to breathe. If we had wings, we would take off to the heavens and shower the world below in our beauty, our vision, and our dreams. We want to be free, but the world is a weight that keeps us grounded. And even in the corner of our life, where we find the home of freedom, we sometimes take it for granted, never realizing that it could be so easily taken away.

Moving fast down the dark corridor, Paige frantically sought escape. The dim lights flickered overhead and in tune with her racing heart. Her feet pounded the cold floor below, and she kept moving. There had to be a way out, she thought as she continued to move, and just as her eyes finally settled on a door up ahead, she ran right into the arms of a man that she would one day know as Black.

"No!" Black wrapped his arms around her. "No!"

"Very good, Paige. It took some time, but you managed to unlock that door using your mind." She stared up at him, and a dark expression crossed his face. "But we're not done with you." He started to move her back down the dark corridor.

"I did what he asked," Paige cried. "I did what he asked. Where the hell is he?"

"Above ground dealing with things." He continued to move her down the corridor. "We have one last task for you."

"What?" She was still held tight in his grip. "What do you want from me now?" Tears slid down her face. "What!"

"Paige." He turned her around so that they were face to face. "Do you know how important you are?" She shook her head in response. "You could do a lot of things. You could change the world." His eyes sparked with the flickering lights above. "You could do a lot of things here." A small smile pulled at his lips. "You just have one test left to pass."

"What... What kind of test?"

"You have to find the island's heartbeat." With that, he forced her along the corridor, passing the room that she was kept in for so long.

"Where are we going?"

"Further underground in a room that you can't unlock with your mind." He felt Paige shudder in his grip. "Easy, Paige. Once you find the island's heartbeat, you can finally go."

"How the hell does an island have a heartbeat?"

"This is no ordinary island, Paige. Haven't you realized that?" He sighed deeply. "Being underground should give you an advantage to finding it."

"And if I don't?" They stopped walking. "What if I can't find it?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Then, nobody finds you." His words slowly sink in as he pushed her on ahead.

2.

"This is far enough." Locke surveyed those around him. "We rest here."

Standing in a similar corridor to the one that Paige was in, Locke turned to gaze at the doors around them. Behind those doors were small quarters with beds and bathrooms. There were almost enough rooms for everyone, but one or two would have to share. And he would take a room with Ben to get some answers especially about Paige.

"John."

Turning down the corridor, Locke saw a man hurry over to them. There was a look of concern on his young face. His brown eyes shifted over to the strangers near him. "Who are these people?"

"These are... The Oceanic Six." Locke turned to gaze at Jack. "They were survivors of the plane crash like me. What's going on?"

"We heard you were dead, but... Thank God, you're not."

"Everyone okay?" The young man turned to look at Sawyer and shook his head. "What now?"

"Paige escaped her room."

A sound of laughter slipped from Ben's mouth, and he quickly tried to conceal it. But it was too late, and he could tell by the looks on everyone's faces. So, he simply smiled and shrugged. "She's a resourceful girl."

"Is she?" Sawyer walked up to him. "How the hell did she get out of a locked room?" He glared at Ben, waiting for an answer, but he merely shrugged.

"She used her mind." Ben's eyes focused on John. "That's how she got out."

"She used her mind?" Sayid looked from Locke to Ben. "Is something like that possible?"

"Oh, it's possible, Sayid, and Ben put that poor girl through hell to be able to do that." Locke sighed. "Where did she go, Ben?"

"How would I know?" Jack wasted no time grabbing Ben and slamming him against a wall. "Really, Jack, this is getting old." Jack leaned closer to him. "I honestly don't know where she would go."

"I bet you do," Jack said. "You just don't want to tell us."

"Jack, let him go." Locke moved closer to him. "Let him go." He watched Jack release Ben from his grip.

"John, if she went above ground at night..." Sawyer and Locke exchanged looks.

"We can't help her now. We have to wait for morning."

"How can you just leave her out there with them?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, but they are far more deadlier at night, and if she is still alive by morning, then we'll find her."

"Who the hell are they?" Jack is now face to face with Locke. "I want some answers."

"So do I." Locke's gaze shifted from Jack to Ben. "David..." He turned to the young man behind him. "Take the boy to where the others are."

"No." Kate moved in front of Aric. "He stays with me."

"I'm sorry, Kate, but it's not safe for him to be around us especially if we go after Paige."

"I don't care, Locke. I'm not giving you my son."

"You mean Claire's son." Locke stared at her. "Kate, he won't be harmed, and he'll be safe here."

"Kate." Jack moved toward her. "Listen to Locke."

"How can you say that, Jack?"

"Because we can trust him." He turned toward Ben. "Your son will be safe here." He tried to take Kate's hand but noticed that Sawyer was watching their every move.

"If anything happens to him..." Kate shook her head.

"Nothing will happen to him." Sawyer made a move toward the boy. "You have my word on that." His gaze shifted from Kate to Jack. "Okay?"

"I'll hold you to that." Kate hugged her son.

"Mom?"

"It's okay. You'll be okay." She kissed the top of her son's head. "Follow the nice man, Aric."

"I want to stay with you." The boy wrapped his arms around her. "I want to stay with you."

"You can't right now." Kate knelt down toward the boy. "I'll make you a promise. I'll come find you as soon as we rescue our friend."

"Paige?" Kate nodded. "Okay, mom. I'll go with him." Aric moved away from her and toward David.

"He'll be okay." Sawyer stood near her as tears ran down Kate's face. "He'll be okay." He exchanged looks with Jack.

As David disappeared down the dim corridor holding the boy's hand, a silence fell upon everyone. More exchanged looks were given, and Sun tried to make eye contact with Hurley, who quickly turned away. And no more words were shared for a long moment as everyone moved closer to the doors and glanced over to Ben.

"If you want to know who they are..." Locke opened a door. "Follow me." He entered a room.

"Kate." Sawyer and Kate were the last to enter the room. "I..."

"I know." Kate gave him a soft smile. "Not now." She hesitantly touched his hand and then quickly disappeared into the room.

"I missed you," Sawyer muttered as he closed the door behind him.

3.

The darkness was overwhelming. The silence was deafening. Fear slipped across the small walls and gathered all its strength like a storm cloud overhead. A sliver of light glided under the metal door toward a shape lying on the floor, and salty tears slipped gently into open lips. And nothing existed, nothing but the darkness.

Pressing her ear against the floor, Paige tried to listen. She tried to hear the island's heartbeat, but she heard nothing. All she felt was coldness, loneliness, and she was trapped. If she could not somehow connect to the island, then this would be where she would die.

Crying softly, she continued to lie on the ground. Her hands clawed at the surface below her. Her eyes tried to penetrate the darkness, holding tight to that sliver of light. The pounding of her heart shattered her ears, and she wished for rescue. But who would find her here, and how many days had gone by since she was forced into this room?

Teetering between consciousness and sleep, she drifted through the darkness. Fear slipped over her skin. Her eyes took in nothing. Her heart continued to scream, but it was the only sound giving her comfort. And suddenly, she heard something, felt something, and it sounded like a heartbeat.

4.

Sitting around a large, oak table, Locke took the head chair. He waited until everyone was seated, but Sawyer chose to stand behind him, leaning against the wall. Folding his hands together, he cleared his throat, and his eyes settled upon everyone until his gaze finally found Ben hiding toward the end of the table.

"After the island was moved, everything was fine. Everything was more than fine, and we all came together. There was no more fighting, no more separation, and like I said before, we became like family."

"So, what went wrong?" Jack gazed at him.

"Not too long after, I spotted a boat near the island." Sawyer moved closer to the table. "Locke was on a scouting party. It was just me, a few others, and Juliet. We watched the boat, looking for signs of life, but it just stayed where it was." Sawyer looked down at the table for a long moment. "Juliet and some others took a small boat out to investigate, see what was going on." His eyes focused on Kate. "We never saw a boat like that before. It had strange markings. There was no sign of life, no people." His eyes shifted over to Jack. "They boarded, and shortly afterward, we heard their screams. Bodies were being dropped overboard." He sighed. "It was a Trojan horse." He shook his head. "And we fell for it. We should've... We should've known better like with what happened last time with your boat."

"And Juliet?" Jack watched Sawyer slowly look at him. "What happened to Juliet?"

"Eight people boarded their boat. They had Juliet bound and gagged with them. She was bloody, and I never saw fear like that in somebody's eyes before." Jack looked away. "They killed her the moment they got ashore, and then they went after the rest of us. And they were strong, fast, and we had to fall back." Sawyer fell silent.

"Luckily, one of Ben's people knew about the tunnels, so we escaped underground. And they did not follow. It's only when we venture out do they come after us." Locke rose from his chair and laid a hand on Sawyer's shoulder. "I took another small scouting party out to that ship while Sawyer and some others distracted them, and Sawyer's right. It's not like any other boat that we have ever seen. It's not like any boat that would have been made in our time."

"What are you saying?" Sayid watched him closely.

"When the island moved, we cut a hole in time." Locke gazed at Ben, who pushed a few tears out of his eyes. "This place, the island... It's like the Bermuda Triangle."

"We're nowhere near the Bermuda Triangle."

"I know that, Sun, but how can you explain an island moving from one part of the ocean to another?" Locke watched her stare down at the table. "You can't, and for anyone to get near this place, it will obviously change them. For the worse."

"But we're not affected." Kate looked around the table. "None of us are going mad. None of us have turned violent."

"You're immune," Ben said. "You can come and go as you please, but for others... There will be an effect on them."

"But to say that moving the island cut a hole in time is ludicrous." Sun looked at everyone.

"No, it's not." Sayid sat back in his seat. "When Desmond and I first boarded that boat so long ago, he started to react."

"React?" Jack looked at him.

"It was like he was living in two separate times, now and the past, and he wasn't the only one. There were others on board being affected by the proximity of the island, and they... They died, but Desmond didn't."

"What saved him?" Sayid's eyes fell on Hurley, who had been quiet up till now.

"Penny saved him."

"What happened to the boat?" Ben ignored some stares from the others.

"We destroyed it."

"Trapping them on the island?"

"Yes, Jack, because there is no way that we can let them leave the way that they are."

"And what do you mean by the way that they are?"

"They're like animals, Kate. Territorial. Tough bastards, and out of the eight of them, we only were able to kill two." Sawyer gazed at her. "But they took a lot of us out."

"How does Paige fit in with your plans, John?"

"Do you really have to ask, Ben?" They stared at each other. "I know what you did to her. I know what she became. How do you think she connected to me after I died?" Ben's eyes darkened. "You have no idea what you did to her."

"Well, is somebody going to tell us?"

"Not tonight, Jack. Enough has been said already." Locke turned toward Sawyer and nodded. "Sawyer will show you all to your rooms, and we'll meet again early morning."

"That's it?"

"Unless you have something to add, Sun, then that's it. Do you have something to add?" Locke gazed at her, making her uncomfortable.

"No."

"Then, that's it." He left the room, followed by Sawyer.

"Are we... Do we want to believe that we cut a hole in the space time continuum?" Jack looked over at Hurley. "Did we do that?"

"We did something." Jack moved away from the table.

"That we did." Sayid followed him.

"Hurley..." Sun turned toward him, but he quickly moved away from the table and out of the room.

"What's with him?" Kate looked at Sun.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" She left the room.

"And the games begin." Kate glanced at Ben, who remained in his chair, watching her. "Trust me, Kate. This isn't going to end well."

"Hopefully not for you." She left the room, leaving Ben alone.

5.

A faint heartbeat was heard in the darkness. A rhythm flowed through the small room. The sense of life emanated from the sliver of light nearby. There was something, something coming.

Pressing her ear against the floor, Paige became entranced with the heartbeat. Her body grew numb. Her heart fell in sync with the rhythm. Closing her eyes, she heard nothing but an endless beating.

The sense of falling overwhelmed her, and she was falling fast, deeper into the earth below. She did not put up a struggle but welcomed the fall. It was as if she was being pulled to something, and she could feel everything. She could see everyone on the island, see all that was happening, and still she was being pulled further and further down. And then there was nothing, nothing but pure oblivion, and she welcomed it in, hoping to never let go.


	14. Chapter 14

LOST - Good-Night

1.

Life is the sweetest of dreams, pure oblivion, and wrapped tight in the beating heart of love. Life is also the cruelest of nightmares, dark, terrorizing, and no matter how hard we try to wake up, we never can. And we are danced on a string between the good times and bad in the moments we live.

The room was bitter cold. The warmth of the sunlight hardly penetrated the sealed glass windows. The walls swayed from side to side due to a soft rocking underneath the floor. The sound of the ocean would have been peaceful, if it were not for the crying of one still buried underneath the covers.

"Why?" The covers started to be pushed aside. "Why?" Bare feet tried to touch the floor but retreated back from the cold. "Why!"

Huddled in the bed, Paige continued to cry. Her whole body hurt. It felt as if she was literally ripped from the heart of the island, and she was. They pulled her back, and she was now here in this room somewhere, somewhere out there.

"I want to go back!" No response as she crawled back under the covers. "I want to go back," she cried.

2.

The room was small with two beds and had an even smaller bathroom. The ceiling was low with a flickering light overhead. The floor was warm from heat flowing through a vent in the corner. Silence was the company of two men barely looking at each other.

"What?"

Resting his head against his arm as he stretched out on his bed, Sawyer glanced at Jack. His gaze was evenly met for a moment and then turned away. Sighing, he sat up and focused on the man now looking around the room. "Every other minute, doc, you keep glancing at me, so why don't you just spit it out?"

"Spit what out?" Jack looked at Sawyer.

"Whatever it is that you want to say, Jack."

"I... I never thought things would get this bad here." He leaned against the wall behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. "I never thought leaving would be such a mistake."

"Well, you were the one that wanted to leave." Sawyer lied back down on his bed. "I bet that you didn't even want to come back."

"What makes you say that?"

"The after smell of booze on your breath." Turning his head toward Jack, he gazed at him. "I never pinned you for a drunk." Jack turned away. "I never thought I would be a leader also." Jack looked back at him. "Funny how life works out."

"Yeah. Funny."

"So, what's your deal?"

"Excuse me."

"Why are you so concerned with Paige, if you're with Kate?"

"That's none of your business."

"Come on, Jack. It's me, Sawyer. It's just us two men in this tiny room, so why not have a bit of conversation?" A moment of silence passed between them. "So?"

"I didn't even know that Paige was alive until recently." Jack looked down at his hands. "I have no idea what Ben did to her, but she's been through enough. And we can't leave her out there with those people running around especially if they're as dangerous as you say."

"They are dangerous, and Paige... She's not the same young woman I knew." He gazed at Jack. "She's different."

"Yeah. I picked up on that too." He watched Sawyer nod in agreement. "I would love to make Ben pay for what he did to her."

"I bet you would, seeing how you like tossing him around like a paper doll." Sawyer stared up at the ceiling. "We'll find her, Jack." He glanced over at him. "We'll find her."

"I hope so." Another moment of silence slowly passed by. "Is everyone... Is everyone that I knew still alive?"

"Some. Not a lot." Sawyer was quiet for a moment. "I wasn't even sure if you made it. I dropped out of that helicopter, swum to shore, and the next thing that I know is watching that boat explode. There was no telling if it brought down the helicopter or not, and there was no sign that it did." He pulled at his lip. "What was it like being home?"

"Different."

"And for Kate?"

"It was rough for her at first, but things got better."

"Well, you were there for her." The two men stared at each other. "Weren't you?"

"You didn't have to jump out of that helicopter, Sawyer."

"Didn't I? It had to be one of us. Me or you, so I chose me."

"Why don't you talk to Kate?"

"About what?"

"About how you still feel. Tell her how you feel, Sawyer. She missed you too."

"I'm married." Jack looked surprised. "I married an Other, Julia."

"You're married?"

"Yeah." Sawyer sat up in bed. "I didn't think that you were coming back, if you did make it home, and I didn't think that I would ever see Kate again."

"So... Where is she? Where is your wife?"

"On the other side of the island with those that chose to go into hiding and not fight."

"Are you going to tell Kate?"

"Are you?" Jack shook his head. "I'll tell her when we actually get a moment to talk, but we have to focus on Paige first. We have to get to her before they do."

"Then, what?"

"We figure out how to kill them." Sawyer and Jack stared at each other for another long moment. "It's us or them, but someone's got to go." With that said, Sawyer lied back down on his bed. "Good-night, Jack."

"Good-night." Jack slowly lied down on his bed but could not shut his eyes.

3.

It felt like forever being trapped in that small, glass room as sunlight continued to pour in, and it felt like eternity until the coldness finally melted away. The rocking underneath the floor disturbed any chance of sleep. The darkness underneath the covers provided no sanctuary. A heart was crying, crying for its loss.

Finally, Paige threw the covers off of her. She was pale and still trembling a little. Her face was tear-stained, but she ran out of tears to cry. And she struggled to get out of the bed to look out the window, and it felt good to bask in the warm sunlight. But she never expected the sight before her, she never thought she would see such a thing again, but she found herself staring out at the Statue of Liberty.


	15. Chapter 15

LOST – Conversations End

Our darkest nightmares reflect the worst moments of our lives, but we are able to escape by simply waking up. And in those dark hours, we face what we fear, what we hate, and what lies deep within, and when we look past the corners of madness, we find hope. We realize that we have to break apart to become something so much more.

1.

The night sky began to fade. A cool breeze trickled through the leaves. The sun greeted the ocean, making dark blue waves golden under its embrace. Whispers of peace rained down upon the island, but tension was thick, so thick that it could have wrapped its arms around the land. And something stirred in the wilderness.

Lifting her head up off the ground, Paige wondered how she came to rest in the spot that she was in. She remembered using her mind to unlock the door that kept her caged in a small room. After that, it was as if someone else had guided her back to the surface, and then sleep came. And it was now a new day, a day where everything would change forever. But how did she know that?

Touching the ground with her hand, a warm hum coursed through her. For a moment, it felt like her mind would slip became into soft oblivion, but Paige quickly withdrew her hand. But she still felt the island calling to her, asking for her to connect like she did so long ago.

"No." Paige stood up from the ground. "I almost didn't make it back from that last time." She stared down at her feet. "I can't... I can't do that." She began to walk, but where was she to go? "Should I go back? Find Sawyer and the others?"

"Paige!"

Paige's name echoed around her. Something stirred in the wilderness. Bushes moved as a shadow ran past her. Eyes were felt staring down upon her, but who was watching?

"Paige!"

Picking a direction, where the yells seemed to be coming from, Paige began to run. She hoped that it was Jack, Sawyer, or even Locke, but she feared it was Ben. What did he have planned? What was he going to do? What was he going to do to her?

"Paige!"

As she continued moving toward the shouts, something told her that it would not be her friends calling to her. It would be something else, and the smart thing to do would be to run in the opposite direction. But she ignored the small voice screaming in the back of her mind and continued moving, never realizing that she was heading for the beach.

2.

A hard knock was heard against wood. It echoed throughout the surrounding corridor. The sound of a door unlocking and then opening answered the second knock.

"Kate?" Hurley stared out at her through a half open door. "Something wrong?"

"Can I come in?" Kate patiently waited in the corridor.

"Sure." He opened the door further, and Kate slipped into the room. "What's going on?" He closed the door behind him. "Where's Jack?"

"Probably sleeping." Kate studied Hurley for a moment. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" Hurley walked over to a bed and sat down on it. "Nothing's going on with me. We're back on the island, have to deal with crazy time traveling killers, and have to find Paige. That's about it." Kate sat on a bed opposite him. "Nothing else is going on."

"Are you sure? You've been acting odd since we got off the boat."

"I was in a mental hospital, Kate. I am a little odd."

"You're not crazy, Hurley."

"Easy for you to say. You don't see Charlie every other day."

"Charlie's dead." Kate and Hurley stare at each other, and then Kate looked away.

"Yeah. I know." She looked back at him. "I see him. I talk to him, and he tells me that he is dead. But he still visits." Kate sighed. "I'm crazy."

"No, you're not." She stared at him. "Look, is there something that I should know?"

"Like what?" Hurley looked down at his hands.

"Like whatever it is that's making you uncomfortable." Hurley looked up at her. "It's me, Hurley. It's Kate."

"You never came to visit. You never saw me in that place." Kate shook her head. "Jack visited." She stared at him. "I think it pushed him over the edge."

"I'm sorry, Hurley. I really am."

"Hey, you had a life, a kid, and it's okay. You didn't have to visit me there."

"I should've been there for you. We've been through so much." She rose from the bed. "We were close once, a long time ago, and if there is something that you need to say, then you can tell me."

"I think we should wake Jack up." He stared at her. "We should find Paige." He glanced at the door, trying to give a subtle hint for her to leave. "She could be in danger."

"Alright." Kate moved toward the door. "I'll get Jack." She started to open the door.

"Sun's not a nice person anymore." Kate looked over her shoulder at him. "She's changed. I wouldn't trust her, if I were you." He stared at Kate for a long moment and then stared back down at his hands.

"Okay." Kate continued to look at him. "Thank you." She left the room.

3.

As quickly as the shouts of her name were heard, they were cut short. Silence fell around Paige. Nothing stirred, but eyes were still felt, watching her every move. And the island still silently called to her, but she put all her focus on discovering who could have been the one shouting for her.

"Paige." Something moved behind her. "Paige." A shadow ran past her. "Paige."

"What? What do you want?"

A thin, pale woman with long, brown hair covering her face stumbled out of the jungle. She fell down on her knees and pressed her hands into the ground. A sob escaped her lips, but she hardly looked at Paige. Instead, she dug her hands further into the earth. "Paige."

"Who are you?" Paige slowly moved toward her. "What do you want from me?" Another sob escaped the woman's lips. "What?"

"One must die to save all." The woman continued to claw at the ground. "One must die to save all."

"I don't understand." Paige was almost standing right near her.

Suddenly, the woman jumped to her feet and grabbed Paige by the shoulders. Her fingers dug deep into her skin, locking her in a cold, vice-like grip. Swinging her hair aside, a pair of white eyes was revealed, and Paige stared at her in horror. She stared at herself. "They are coming."

Stumbling away from herself, Paige could not turn her eyes away from the woman. She was barely older than Paige was, and she was blind. How could she be blind? How could she be so real?

"They are coming."

Spinning around, Paige started to run, but she turned back to look at her other self. But she was gone. There was no sign of her, but the danger was real. She could feel it, so she started to run.

4.

Opening one eye, Ben turned to look at Locke. It seemed like he was asleep. Slowly moving off his bed, he made his way over to the door and reached for the knob. A creak in the mattress near him told him that Locke was far from sleeping.

"Going somewhere?" Locke gazed at him.

"Out for some air." Ben turned to look at him and saw Locke laugh. "Is that okay with you, John?"

"No, Ben, it's not. Have a seat." He gestured toward the other bed. "We haven't talked in a long time."

"What would you like to talk about, John?" Ben moved back over to his bed and sat down.

"How about Paige?" He sat up on his bed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You must be proud of yourself. You made her connect to the island, and then you took all that away from her."

"I did what I had to do."

"In self-preservation, or did you actually care about her?"

"I do care about her, and she's in danger right now."

"I agree, but does she know the full extent of what took place when you had her?" Something in Ben's eyes flickered. "Does she know that while she was unconscious after connecting to the island, you were running tests on her?" No response. "Was it hard for her to recover after you had her removed from the island?"

"What do you want me to say? You know who I am, what I am."

"I do, and when this is all over, something is going to be done about that."

"You threatening me, John?"

"I'm making you a promise. After we take back the island, I'm putting you on trial." Ben started to laugh. "I'm not kidding."

"So, what's the verdict going to be? The death penalty for what I've done to Paige, to those on this island? Will that be justice? Will that be enough for you?"

"I was thinking more of exile." Locke rose from the bed. "It's time to pay for your crimes." He stared down at Ben. "Maybe, somehow, you can even find redemption."

"Redemption." Ben laughed and shook his head. "I am far from redemption." He stood up from the bed and stepped closer to Locke. "When this is all over, if you feel like I should be put on trial for my actions, you go right ahead because the end result won't be for justice. It will be for your revenge against me."

"It will be for justice." Locke gestured toward the door. "After you." He watched Ben leave the room and followed closely behind.

5.

They were closing in. Their eyes were taking in her every move. Their footsteps fell right behind hers. Stretching their hands out, they almost had her.

A knife fell almost a foot in front of her. Its crude edge dug into the ground. Its hilt was dirty, bloody. Its owner was closing in, probably with another dagger in hand.

Tripping over the ground, Paige tried to regain her balance. She put her hands on the earth, and again another warm hum ran through her. It nearly stole her breath away when a sharp blade was pushed against her throat.

"Get up." It was a man's voice, harsh and cold. "Get up." Paige rose from the ground. "Turn around." She slowly turned around to stare at a man that looked almost barbarian.

"Don't hurt me." She saw his fingers itching along the handle of his knife. "Please." Her eyes met his, not seeing any humanity shining back.

"No kill." Another man exited the wilderness and joined his colleague. "I am Varan." He approached Paige. "Who are you?"

"Paige."

"Who else was on the boat with you?" Paige remained silent. "Who else was on the boat with you?" He struck her in the face when she refused to answer again. "You live only to draw them out." He grabbed her by the throat as his friend quickly bound her hands with rope. "Then, I kill you." Pushing her ahead, he followed her back into the jungle.

6.

Stepping into the bathroom, Sun turned on the sink and ran cold water over her face. She took in a deep breath and then let it out, and she splashed more water on her skin. Raising her head, she stared at herself in the mirror.

"Sun."

Spinning around, Sun came face to face with Jin. His gaze held hers. He reached toward her, but she flinched. Dropping his hand back at his side, his eyes moved toward hers, questioning her. "Why do you hurt me?"

"You're dead, Jin. You're not real."

"Why betray them?"

"Because they killed you."

"No." Jin stepped back from her. "I sacrificed myself, so you could go home. I never wanted this for you." He looked at her. "I never wanted you to come back here."

"Jack has to pay for what he did, so does Ben."

"You are not the one to judge them."

"I have to do this." She shakily stepped toward him. "I have to do this. For you."

"Then, you will never go home." He moved toward her. "Your child will never know you, and I will never forgive you."

"Jin..." Sun closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but..." When she went to look at him, he was already gone. "Jin." Tears ran down her face. "Forgive me." She shut her eyes, hoping that somehow, somewhere he heard her. "Forgive me."


	16. Chapter 16

LOST – Enemy Line

**We all want to trust. We want to believe that people are good. We wish to leave our homes open, doors unlocked because there would be no need to fear, no need to suspect. We want to trust, but how can we when so many people go wrong? Why leave ourselves open for them to conquer? We all want to trust, but in this world, we can't.**

1.

The jungle was quiet. The winds dared not rustle any trees or bushes. The sun slid safely behind a dark cloud overhead. The ground was hard, cold, and refused to allow any footprints to be left behind. Time silently counted down, and the jungle remained still.

Paige followed behind one ragged man. Her hands were bound by rope, and the cord was wrapped around the fist of the one that pulled her ahead. Her feet kicked at the ground, trying to leave some sort of impression, but failed. Her eyes scanned the jungle, searching for hope, but there was no sign yet of her friends. Would they come? Would they know it was a trap? Who she be responsible for their deaths?

"You people are responsible for this." The man ahead growled. "We would not be here, if it were not for you."

"I agree." She was surprised when he suddenly stopped walking. "What? You're surprised that I agree with you."

"How did you do it? How did you cut a hole through time?" His sharp, brown eyes held her gaze. "How did you do it?"

"One man did it. His name is Ben." She watched him nod. "He's really the one that's responsible for all this."

"And all of you will pay his price." He started to walk on ahead.

"Why? Why slay us when one man was responsible?"

"Because we can never go home." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "If we cannot go home, then we will lay claim to this island and all of its secrets, and for all those here before us... They will die."

"But they are not responsible!"

"Enough!" Varan walked up to the man and then glanced at Paige. "Do not speak to her, Norm. She is not supposed to speak until we need her to speak." He stared at the man until he finally nodded. "And as for you, Paige." Varan approached her. "We did not ask to be here, but here we are. And this is where we will stay, and whether or not you people are responsible for bringing us here will not change a thing. This island is ours, and your people... They are inferior to mine."

"And where are your people?" She hardly flinched when he raised his hand, but he slowly lowered it.

"Mine are on the other side of the island, trying to flush out those hiding underground." He lifted a finger and stuck it in her face. "We may be few, but we are strong. We are determined, and we have killed many when you only took two. We will live. This island will be ours." His finger touched her nose. "Speak again when not asked to, and I will break this pretty nose of yours." He walked away.

If her eyes were daggers, Paige would have slit Varan in two, but all she could do was glare at him in pure hatred. Her gaze shifted over to Norm, and for a moment, she saw something in his eyes. Compassion? Pity? Why was a good man following a lunatic like Varan, but then again why did the Others hold Ben as their leader? What compelled them to do this?

"Let's go." Norm's voice was gentle, but the pull on the rope was harsh. And Paige followed without further complaint.

2.

The sun cautiously slipped out of the clouds and allowed its rays to fall onto the island. The ground warmed under its touch. A gentle breeze stirred through the jungle. The light silently fell down upon the group of people now standing above ground.

"We should head north toward Black Rock." Locke looked around those standing near him. "Rumor had it that they set up camp around there."

"Fitting, huh?" Sawyer glanced from Locke to Jack.

"If you think we should north, then we go north." Jack kept his eyes only on Locke.

Lingering a distance away from the group, Kate surveyed the jungle. She gnawed a little on her lip. She knew what she had to do, but would the others accept it?

"Kate?" Sayid approached her. "Something wrong?" Her eyes darted over to Sun, who seemed focused on Jack. "Kate?"

"No. Nothing's wrong." Her uncertainty gave her away, and she knew it. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Taking a step closer to Sayid, Kate w hispered, "There's something not right with Sun." Her eyes moved toward her, and she realized that Sun was now staring at her. "I think we should go back to the beach, where the boat is."

"But it's not safe there."

"I know, but... I just have this feeling that something isn't right, that she did something." Kate's eyes searched Sayid's. "Hurley said that she can't be trusted."

"Hurley has been through a lot." Sayid turned to see Hurley standing near Jack. "What he says should not be completely believed."

"I know what he's been through, but I also know him. And I believe him."

"Kate? Something wrong?" Sun approached them as her eyes moved from her to Sayid.

Kate started to respond when she realized that everyone was now staring at her. Her eyes moved over to Hurley, who shook his head. Her gaze shifted over to Jack and Sawyer, who exchanged looks. Sighing, she knew she would have to say it. "I'm going back to the beach."

"Like hell you are." Sawyer walked up to her. "It's not safe, Kate."

"I have to go back." She glanced at Sayid.

"Kate forgot something on the boat." Sayid glanced at her and then at Sun. "I'll go with her."

"Forget it. Like I said, it's not safe."

"I'll be fine, Sawyer." They stared at each other for a moment. "I'll be fine."

"Well, I'm going with you." He glanced at Sayid. "If that's alright with you."

"It is."

"I'm going to." Everyone looked at Sun. "Maybe I can help."

"I hope so, Sun." She noticed a dark expression briefly crossed her face. "We need to get to that boat."

"Kate, can't this wait until after we get Paige?"

"I'm sorry, Locke, but it can't wait."

"Why are you really going back to the beach?"

"I said. I forgot something." She glared at Ben, but she knew that he did not believe her. "Okay?" She followed his gaze over to Sun and then back to her.

"Fine. Just don't get yourself killed."

"Hey!" Jack turned toward Ben. "She'll be fine."

"Yeah. I'll be with her." Sawyer glanced at Jack, who looked back at him. "We best be moving. The more we stay here out in the open, the better they have a chance of taking us all out at once."

"James is right. We need to move." Locke started to walk into the jungle, followed by Hurley and Ben.

"We'll meet up with you, Jack." Sayid smiled at him as Sawyer and Kate started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Jack." All eyes fell back on Sun. "Why are you trying to save Paige?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you trying to save Paige?" Sun moved closer to him. "Are you looking for redemption?"

"Do I need redemption, Sun?"

"You tell me."

"Paige is in trouble, and she needs to be saved." He moved closer to Sun. "Does that answer your question?"

"I guess." Sun started to move away from him, but he grabbed her by the arm. "Let go of my arm, Jack."

"I know you blame me for Jin's death." Nobody moved at the mention of Jin. "I made the wrong choice. I should've gotten him on that helicopter, but you remember what happened. We were already too heavy, and Sawyer... He had to stay behind too." Jack finally looked at Sawyer. "We all made sacrifices, and we're all paying for them. So, am I looking for redemption? No, because if I deserve it, it will find me." He let go of her arm. "It'll find me." He walked away from her.

"We'll see," Sun muttered as she watched him walk away.

A short distance away, Jack and Locke walked side by side with Ben and Hurley trailing behind. They kept their eyes and ears open, trying to sense any oncoming danger. Their footsteps fell quietly against the ground below. Nobody spoke for a few long moments.

"She has a lot of hate in her." Locke glanced at Jack. "Sun."

"I know, and I know she blames me for Jin's death."

"A woman like that is dangerous to cross." Ben ignored the stare that Jack gave him. "She gained quite a bit of power back home, and there's no telling how she really used it."

"She shouldn't be trusted." Hurley closed his mouth tight, but the words already came out.

Jack stopped walking and turned toward Hurley. "Okay, Hurley. Since we got off the boat, I noticed how uneasy you've been around Sun, so what is it?"

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"Stop playing dumb, Hurley, and just spit it out already." Locke and Ben exchanged looks. "What is it that you are not telling us?" Jack stepped closer to Hurley.

"You're going to think that I am crazy, and I admit it. I am, but..."

"You're not crazy." Hurley was surprised to hear those words from Ben. "You never were."

"But I talk to dead people."

"So do I." Ben kept his eyes on Hurley, but he knew that Locke was staring at him. "Does that make me crazy?"

"You're creepy." Hurley sighed. "But... No, you're definitely not crazy. You got me out of jail." He stared at Ben for a long moment before finally turning to look at Jack. "Okay. Okay. I saw Sun throw Paige overboard into a raft." Ben smiled. "You think that's funny? You really are creepy."

"I'm smiling because you just proved me innocent." Ben turned toward Jack. "And you owe me an apology, Jack."

"I'm... I'm sorry." Jack was shocked. "Sun did that?" Hurley nodded. "I can't believe she did that."

"I saw it, dude."

"Maybe Kate was right to go back to the beach." Jack glanced at Locke. "Sun may be more dangerous than I thought." He resumed walking.

"What could she have done?"

"God only knows, Jack." Ben walked past him. "God only knows." Jack and Hurley exchanged looks. "Let's go."

Another short distance away, Kate and Sawyer walked side by side as Sayid and Sun trailed behind. Nobody spoke for a long time but exchanged several glances with each other. They kept their eyes and ears open, searching for any sign of danger. Their footsteps fell quietly against the ground below.

"So, who is she?"

"Did Jack open his stupid mouth to you?"

"No. I figured it out for myself." Kate looked at him. "So, who is she?"

"An Other."

"You married an Other?" The surprise was clear in Sayid's voice. "She must be some kind of woman."

"She is, and she's on the other side of the island right now. She's probably with your son." He stared at Kate. "Okay, so I get to ask a question now."

"What do you want to know?"

"Did you and Jack hook up back home?" Kate stopped walking. "Did you?"

"For awhile." Kate started to walk ahead.

"What happened?"

"He fell apart." She turned to look at Sawyer. "He started drinking."

"He's been sober since he got here."

"Has he?" Sun looked at Sayid. "He was drinking quite a bit on the boat."

"That's none of your damn business, Sun, and if you noticed, he stopped drinking."

"Because of Paige." Sawyer sighed. "I'm glad to be out of that kind of love triangle."

"There is no love triangle, Sawyer. She's a friend." She turned toward Sun. "And why the hell did you ask him about redemption, Sun?"

"I was curious." She continued to walk with them. "I knew how he felt about you, so why was he so driven to save her?"

"Because she is a friend and she is in trouble." Kate moved closer to Sun. "Why did you volunteer to come back, Sun? What's your real reason?" They're face to face. "What do you have planned?"

"Enough. What's got into you, Kate?" Sawyer stepped between them.

"She's not to be trusted." Kate and Sun stared at each other. "Those were Hurley's words. Sun is not to be trusted. Why would he say that?"

"Because he saw me throw Paige overboard."

"What?" Sawyer turned toward her. "You did what?"

"I drugged her and threw her overboard into a raft."

"Why would you do something like that?" Sayid stood a little too close to her than she would have liked. "What compelled you to do that?"

"She was in the way."

"She was in the way? In the way of what, Sun?"

"My plans, Kate. My plans for Ben." Her eyes moved from everyone around her. "I want Ben dead."

"Don't we all?" Sayid shook his head. "Did you leave anything at the beach?"

"No."

"You sure?" Kate stared at her.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, I guess we'll see." Sawyer turned away from her and started to walk. "Jeez. You all go home and fall to pieces." He glanced at Sun over his shoulder. "I'm glad I stayed back now." He did not see the dark expression cross over Sun's face.


	17. Chapter 17

LOST – Storm Rising

1.

The morning was so quiet. Absolute beauty captured the day. Soft clouds and bright sun decorated the sky. A sweet breeze rustled by with a brief hello and then a quick good-bye. It was a beautiful beginning to a new day, a day, where nobody would suspect tragedy to strike.

A violent tremor ran through the island similar to the powerful earthquakes that once rocked Los Angeles, California. Black smoke rose from broken ground and began to strangle the sky. Screams echoed in the distance, shouts for help, but there was no escape. Lives were in danger, and lives were lost. And tragedy was home.

2.

Somewhere near Black Rock, Paige found herself leaning against a large tree. Her hands were still bound but not her feet. Her captors were a few feet away, discussing something in secret. Her eyes scanned the area around her. Should she run? Could she outrun them?

The island still called to her. She could feel the earth underneath biting deep into her skin. Her hands itched to touch the ground once more. Something in the back of her mind was screaming, but what was it saying? What warning was going unheard?

Walking toward her, Paige saw determination burning deep in Varan's eyes, and when she turned to look at Norm, he simply turned away. He was still following his leader, and she could not rely on him to help her, turn against Varan. She was alone, and it was up to her to figure out a way to save herself from certain death.

Before Varan could speak, an ear-shattering explosion rocked the ground underneath. Trees crashed down around them. The sky filled up with smoke and screams. Terror raced through Paige as her hands hit the ground, and she could instantly see what was taking place. They had succeeded in breaking ground, forcing out those hiding from them.

"What have you done?" Tears coursed down her face. "What have you done?"

"You can see what I've done." Curiosity crossed over Varan's face. "I was right about you. You're different. How are you different?"

"I just am." A dark realization fell heavy on her. "I was never the bait. Was I?" Varan grinned and shook his head. "So, why not just kill me and get this over with?"

"Because, my dear girl, you're going to tell me everything about this island. You're going to show me everything before I take your life." He looked over his shoulder at Norm, who was now silently watching them. "And don't think that my friend over there will betray me. He knows where his loyalty lies." He grabs Paige and hauls her to her feet. "Now, tell me about the island."

"Why don't I just show you?" Paige's eyes grew darker. "It would be better, if you saw for yourself what this island can truly do." A sinister smile touched her lips.

3.

Heading toward the beach, silence held the hands of the small group walking together. Eyes casted left and right, but no words were exchanged. Footsteps broke ground, and sighs echoed along with the breeze. Their journey toward the ocean was drawing near.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently beneath them, forcing them to their knees. Black smoke was seen rising high into the sky. Screams echoed in the distance, calls for help, and horror brought everyone to their feet. And nobody could then move for a long moment.

"Oh my God," Sayid whispered.

"What? What's going on?" Sun looked at a panic-strickened Sawyer. "What was that?"

"Paige... She was never the trap." Sawyer turned to look at everyone. "She was a decoy." He spun around toward the now huge, black smoke choking the sky. "Julia..."

"Sawyer." The color drained from Kate's face. "My son... He's over there, isn't he?"

"We have to go." Sawyer started to break into a run in another direction.

"Go? Where?" Sun remained where she was.

"Over there!" Sawyer turned toward her. "Are you blind? My people, my wife... Kate's son are all in danger, and if we don't move right now, then they are all dead." He looked at Kate. "We have to go. Now!"

"I agree." Sayid started to move toward him.

"But what about the others?"

"What is wrong with you, Sun? My child is over there! I don't know where Jack and Locke are right now, and I don't care. My son is over there!" Kate pointed at the dark cloud. "We're going. End of conversation." She hurried past Sawyer and Sayid.

"Are you coming?" Sayid saw Sun shake her head. "Suit yourself."

"Be careful." She watched everyone disappear into the jungle before her.

"You should go with them." Jin stood right behind her. "They need your help, Sun."

"You are not Jin!" She spun around to confront him. "I don't know what you are, but you are not my husband."

"Believe what you want, but what you are thinking of doing is foolish. And you won't succeed." He was face to face with her. "Give up your revenge, and help your friends."

"Do not tell me what to do, Jin."

"So, you think I am your husband?"

"I don't care, and I'm going to do what I came here to do." She moved away from him. "So, stop trying to stop me." She hurried into the jungle.

"You'll be sorry," he whispered before vanishing.

4.

Closing in on Black Rock, the small group hardly exchanged words. Their eyes roamed over their surroundings and then settled upon one another. Something didn't feel right, and they all sensed it. Something was wrong. Were they too late?

Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the ground below them, making them fall backward. Trees came crashing down around them. The sky filled up with black smoke. Screams were heard, shouts for help, and they found themselves paralyzed with fear.

"Oh no," Hurley whispered. "We're too late." He struggled to stand.

"They broke through." The sadness almost choked Locke's voice. "We were tricked." He turned toward Jack, who now stood beside him. "Paige was never the trap."

"They're going after everyone else." Ben studied Locke. "How could we be so blind?"

"We didn't know." Jack looked at him and then at Locke. "We didn't know."

"It's too late." Locke closed his eyes. "We can't help them now. We're too far away. I can only hope that Sawyer's group reaches them in time." Tears filled his eyes. "Otherwise, we lost."

"What about Paige?" Hurley looked at everyone. "Are we going to try and save her?"

"We might have another problem." Ben looked up at the sky.

Menacing clouds gathered overhead. Sinister lightning coursed through them. A soft but warning rumble echoed in the distance. The sun was gone, taken over by another dark cloud, and the wind was picking up. A storm was coming.

"What's happening?" Jack watched the dark cloud formation overhead. "I never saw clouds like that before except..." Fear flickered in his eyes.

"Paige reconnected to the island." Everyone looked at Ben. "God help us all."


	18. Chapter 18

LOST: FINAL CHAPTER

1.

Bright lights filled long, dark corridors. The sound of footsteps hushed any silence falling along stone. Whispers swept by like a breeze. A sweet aroma of love and friendship chased away any lingering thoughts of fear and hate. It was early morning, and the day was just about to begin.

A door slowly opened, and a young boy took a step out into the corridor. His soft eyes took in the giant walls of stone. His small feet stumbled across hard concrete. Tiny fingers traced the surrounding walls as the boy continued to walk outside his room.

"Damn it, Henry." A young, black woman with short hair crossed her arms over her chest. "They have been gone for days. We need food. We need supplies. We are almost out."

"I know, Julia." An older man with a long beard stood before her. "We can't go after them. They were probably captured or killed, and these people... They don't keep prisoners, and if they do, God help them."

"What about Sawyer? Locke?"

"They're still with the newcomers. For us to reach them, we would have to go above ground, and you heard Sawyer. No risks."

"So, we stay here and starve. We need to do something." Julia was oblivious to the little boy now standing behind her. "We have to do something."

"Julia..." The man's eyes shifted from her and down to the small figure nearby.

Turning around, Julia's brown eyes settled on a small face. A smile touched her lips. Kneeling down, she opened her arms toward the boy. "Aric. What are you doing out of your room?"

"I want my mother." He remained where he was standing. "When will she be here?"

"Soon. Very soon." She took him by the hand. "In the meantime, you're safe here. You're safe with us."

"You should take him back to his room." Julia nodded and started to walk away. "I'll see what I can do about getting more food and supplies down here." The man began to walk in the other direction. "Maybe our missing people will turn up after all," he added.

Before Julia could respond, the ceiling above them disappeared with a sounding blast. Debris flew around her, and a short scream was silenced. A trickle of red flowed down stone. Clouds of smoke enveloped the corridors. Shadows slipped by, and more screams were heard.

Stumbling to her feet, she quickly looked for Aric and found him lying still against a nearby wall. She grabbed him up in her arms and checked for a pulse, and relief overwhelmed her when she found it. Turning toward the now gaping hole overhead, she carried the boy out of the corridor and climbed over broken walls to the outside.

Once above ground, she surveyed the scene. Her eyes fell on two bound men, bloodied and beaten, and they laid still together nearby. She didn't have to check to know that they were dead, and now there was no question as to what happened to her missing friends. And the boy in her arms began to stir, bringing her back to the harsh reality around her.

Screams behind her brought chills down her spine. Her people were being slaughtered. She had to do something, but the boy had to be safe first. And she ran a short distance into the jungle to lie the boy down in the bushes, and then she turned back to the ugly hole in the ground.

Withdrawing her knife, she dove back down into the corridors. She started to cough from the smoke around her. Shadows were moving back and forth, signs of a struggle, and someone ran past her. Carefully, she made her way down the corridor, looking for anyone that she could save.

"Julia..."

Snapping her head in the direction of a voice, she found one man lying wounded against the wall. She quickly grabbed him by the arm and helped him to his feet. She waited for him to regain his balance, and she glanced around to see if anyone was coming toward them. Once she was sure that he was okay to stand on his own, she gestured toward the hole above him, watched him nod, and then she continued down the corridor.

Rough hands grabbed her from behind and slammed her hard against the wall. A knee found its way into her back. An arm wrapped around her neck. The hold tightened, cutting off her air.

Without hesitation, she slammed her knife backward into flesh. A scream from behind signaled that her target was hit, and she withdrew her knife to slam it backward into her assailant. The choke hold loosened, and she spun around to face a man now bloodied and enraged. And she kicked him hard in his face, making him stumble backward, and she reached for the knife.

The man pulled the knife out first and swung it from hand to hand. His eyes never left Julia, who took a fighting stance, and he studied her for a long moment. Lunging with the knife, she caught him by the arm, snapped it back, and forced him to drop the knife, but the man tried to elbow her in the face with his other arm. But she dropped to her knees, swung her leg around, and knocked the man to the ground, and before he could react, she slammed the knife into his head.

"Julia!"

More people were moving toward her. She recognized the faces of her friends and escorted them to the hole nearby. She helped them out but stayed where she was. She would not leave without trying to save as many people as she could.

"Julia!"

Two figures ran toward her, and a large shadow was hot on their feet. A glint of metal swung over their heads as they ducked and continued to run. Their hands stretched out toward Julia, but one fell backward as a knife slammed through their chest. The other grabbed Julia's hand and was guided to safety.

"You have to go!" Julia turned toward the menacing shadow. "Go!"

"He'll kill you."

"I said to go!" She didn't look back at the man behind her. "I got this."

The sound of metal cutting air sounded over her head, but she hardly flinched. She took another fighting stance and waited for her opponent to draw closer. Her fists were raised before her, and her knees bent a little. She could see a menacing smile dance on the man's face as he now stood before her.

"You're going to fight me, little woman?" He laughed. "Is that the idea?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"Give me your best shot."

With a strong kick under his chin, Julia heard the sound of bones breaking. She watched blood drip down his nose. A look of surprise was the last expression to cross his face. The man fell dead at her feet.

An angry sound behind them was her cue to go. Footsteps thundered toward her, and she turned to run. Shouts and screams filled the broken corridors, but she did not hesitate. Just as hands reached out toward her, she jumped outside to safety.

Landing hard on the grass outside, she turned to see two large men pull themselves out of the hole. Their hands and clothes were bloody. Their eyes were dark with rage. Snarls crossed their lips, and their attention was set on her.

Getting to her feet, she was about to take another fighting stance, but then she saw the gun. But before she could react, a bullet hit her in the stomach, and she fell backward. A scream slipped through her lips, and she struggled to her feet. But they were already on top of her.

Feet pounded into her flesh, her bones, and blood poured from her mouth. Tears stung her eyes. Breathing was like swallowing a knife. Her body screamed, and she screamed with it. And there was no sign of rescue.

"Julia!"

Surprise touched her face as she recognized Sawyer's voice. Blood and tears blinded her, but she knew he was there. Pain kept her down, but she would not give in. She would not fade out. She would wait to stare up into the face of the man that she loved. "Sawyer!"

"Julia!"

One of the men standing above her was thrown to the ground, and the other was tackled by another. A struggled ensued around her. Bodies hit the ground hard, and an exchanges of punches and kicks were felt and heard nearby. And still she could not see.

A gentle touch surprised her as someone helped her sit up. Their delicate hands wiped the blood and tears out of her eyes. A finger brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Slowly, she began to see someone before her, and she was shocked to see Kate. "Kate?"

"Julia." Kate looked closely at her. "You okay?" She looked down at the bloody stain on her stomach. "Stupid question. I'm sorry, but I need to know. Where's my son? Where is Aric?"

Julia was about to answer when she saw the gun lying nearby. She looked at Kate, who quickly moved toward it. Her breath caught in her throat as Kate's hand touched the metal, and a foot came slamming down on it.

Looking up, Kate stared at one of the men that attacked Julia. Her eyes darted toward Sayid, who struggled to his feet. Her eyes narrowed as the man grabbed the gun out of her hands and pointed the barrel at Julia.

Suddenly, a sound of thunder roared across the sky. Large, black clouds rolled in above. A sharp wind blew around them. Lightning touched the ground not too far away.

Sawyer was caught in a choke hold and was struggling to break free from the strong man's grip. His eyes teared, and the grip tightened. His panicked gaze fell on Julia, who looked back at him. He tried to say something, but his words were lost. He was fading out, losing consciousness.

"What the hell is that?" The man choking the life out of Sawyer paused. "What is that!"

Clouds swirled overhead. More thunder roared across the sky. Lightning touched down again near the other man. Something was forming, and it looked like a large funnel cloud.

2.

"Make her stop!"

With hands dug deep into the earth, Paige's eyes turned white. She turned her head to stare at Norm, who looked up at the clouds above them. A small smile touched her lips. Still, she continued to push her hands further into the ground.

"Varan! Make her stop!"

Stunned, Varan broke his gaze from what was happening above him to the man now gripping his arm. Wonder touched his face, and he was speechless for a moment. And then concern and worry creased his brow, and he quickly approached Paige. "Stop!"

"Varan!" Norm saw the large funnel cloud, and it was heading straight for them. "You have to make her stop! Now!"

Without hesitating, Varan slammed his fist into Paige's face. Blood poured from her nose, but she hardly flinched. Her hands never moved from the ground, and he raised his fist again.

"Enough!"

Spinning around, Varan stared at Locke, and his eyes took in the men standing behind him. With a large smile, he turned toward Paige and punched her in the face, but again, she hardly flinched. And he raised his fist again inches above her head.

Jack grabbed Varan and forced him down onto the ground. He was punched in the face and staggered backward, but he dodged another right fist. And he buried his own hand into Varan's chest.

Norm lunged toward Jack, but Hurley clotheslined him, spinning him to the ground. He jumped on top of the man, pinning him to the earth, but the man struggled to break free. And he turned toward Hurley with his fists raised before him.

Locke and Ben hurried over to Paige. Locke was surprised to see Ben wipe the blood away from her nose, but Paige had no reaction. They exchanged looks, and Ben tried to touch her hands. But a shock snapped through him, knocking him back into Locke.

"It's no use, John." Ben slowly moved away from him. "The island has her."

"There has to be something that we can do." Locke's gaze shifted from Ben to the funnel cloud quickly on approach. "There has to be something that we can do."

"There's only one thing that we can do." Ben stared at Locke for a long moment. "It's the only way."

Jack and Varan continued to wrestle with each other as Hurley faced off with Norm, and Ben and Locke continued to stare at Paige. Nobody saw Sun spying nearby and watching what was taking place. Everyone else was too busy struggling to survive.

"We can't kill her, Ben."

"Then, there's nothing that we can do." He turned toward the funnel cloud, which was only a few feet away. "Except pray."

"I can't do it." Locke shook his head. "I can't."

"Then, I'll have to." Ben approached Paige. "I'm sorry, Paige." He started to withdraw a small knife from his pocket. "This is the only way."

"Wait." Paige's white eyes focused on Ben as he stood before her. "Wait."

Suddenly, Varan and Norm were ripped away from Jack and Hurley. Their screams reflected the roaring thunder overhead. Their bodies vanished inside the large funnel cloud. Lightning struck the earth around everyone, but nobody else was pulled into the funnel, which dug deep into the ground nearby. And all eyes turned toward Paige.

3.

Before Kate and Sawyer could react, their two adversaries were ripped away from them and toward the funnel. Their hands tried to grab onto something, someone for safety, but it was no use. They were gone with hardly a scream or cry for help.

4.

Something small, metallic rose up from the sand near the beach. It sparkled in the air, and then it was thrown far, far out to sea. And the funnel cloud moved out over the furious waves before vanishing into a brilliant blue sky.

5.

Paige pulled her hands out of the ground. Her eyes flickered from white to brown. She gazed at everyone standing before her, and she smiled. And then she closed her eyes and fell backward on the soft earth behind her.

"Paige!" Jack ran toward her. "She's not breathing!" He started CPR. "Come on, Paige. Come on."

"Did you see what she did?" Hurley stared up at the sky. "Where do you think those guys went?"

"She killed them." Ben hardly looked at him but watched Jack try to save her. "Forgive me, Paige."

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silence. Ben was struck in the chest and fell backward near Paige. He struggled to sit up and stare at Sun, who pointed a small gun at him, almost resembling one of the guns used as a cigarette lighter.

"That's for Jin." Sun lowered the gun. "That's for Jin." She dropped the gun to the ground.

Locke moved toward Ben and applied pressure to the gunshot wound. Blood poured out under his hand. Concern crossed his face as he turned to look at Jack, who stopped performing CPR on Paige.

"No! Jack, you save her. Save her!" Ben started to choke on the blood flowing from his mouth. "Do it!" He watched Jack continue the CPR. "Save her."

Locke took Ben by his hand and held it, and Ben tightened his grip around Locke's hand. An understanding passed between them as they locked eyes with each other. With one last breath, Ben turned to look at Sun, and Locke followed his gaze.

"This is why you came back."

"Yes." Sun continued to stare at Ben. "This is why I came back."

With a loud cough, Paige struggled to breathe. Her eyes flashed open, and Jack leaned over her. She struggled to sit up, but Jack pushed her back down on the ground.

"Easy, Paige. I thought we almost lost you."

"One must die to save all."

"What?"

"Jack?" Paige looked around. "Why can't I see you? Where are you?"

"I'm right here." Jack waved his hand before Paige's eyes, but she didn't even blink. "Paige? Can't you see me?"

"No. I can't see anything." Jack and Locke exchanged looks. "I'm blind." Tears ran down her face.

"It's okay, Paige." Locke moved toward her and helped her to her feet. "I'll take care of you." He stared into her face. "I promise."

"Locke?"

"Yeah. It's me." He watched Jack stand up from the ground. "You're okay, Paige. You're going to be okay." His eyes remained on Jack, who looked from him to Paige.

"Where's Ben?" Nobody said anything for a moment. "Where is he?"

"He's dead." Sun approached her. "I know what I did to you was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"You did what you thought was right." Paige tried to look at her. "Now, you live with the consequences of your actions like I must."

"We should go." Jack glanced down at Ben's body. "Your people need us." His eyes moved back to Locke.

"They're your people too, Jack." Locke wrapped an arm around Paige. "But you're right. We should go." He guided Paige away from Sun, and without a word, Hurley followed him into the jungle.

"I forgive you, Jack."

"Do you, or was that gun too small to carry two bullets, Sun?" He stared at her for a long moment. "You asked me before about redemption. Well, maybe you're the one that needs it more than me." He walked past her. "Like Paige said, you live with the consequences of your actions."

"I intend to." She followed him into the jungle.

6.

Struggling to breathe, Julia found herself in Sawyer's arms. Relief overwhelmed her, and she tried to smile. But pain screamed through her, and her stomach felt like it was on fire. And a small cry escaped her lips.

"Hold on, darling. We'll get help." Sawyer looked down at her. "We'll get help."

"Aric!"

Survivors from the underground stumbled out of the jungle. They shared a look of confusion. Eyes turned upward, searching for those dark clouds. Mouths were shaped in forms of questions, and everyone gazed now at the people near the hole in the ground.

"Aric!"

Kate moved toward the survivors in search of her son. Tears coursed down her face. Her eyes moved over those walking around her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she started to cry. "Aric!"

"Mom!"

Aric erupted from the jungle and flew into her arms. He was lifted off the ground with a cry of happiness from Kate. A brilliant smile crossed his face. "Mom!"

"Thank God! Thank God!" Kate embraced her son and turned to look at the jungle, and her smile vanished. "Claire?" For a moment, she saw Claire staring back at her, but when she looked at Aric and then back at the spot, Claire was gone. "Claire?"

"Mom?" Aric looked at her. "Who's Claire?"

"What? Uh... She's... A friend." Kate stared back at the jungle. "She's a friend." She moved back toward Sawyer and Sayid.

Carrying Julia in his arms, Sawyer moved toward Kate and her son. His gaze moved over everyone around him, and he smiled at Sayid. His eyes shifted over to the jungle, and he froze in his steps. For a moment, he was almost sure that he saw Jack's father staring back at him, but like a ghost, he was gone a moment later. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Julia looked up at him. "What is it?"

"What? Uh... Nothing." He smiled at her. "Nothing." His attention returned to Kate and her son, and his gaze was held by Kate for a long moment. "It was nothing." He looked at Julia. "Everything's fine now." He kissed her on the lips. "We'll be fine."

7.

Soft waves rolled onto the beach. A gentle wind traveled across water. Sand sparkled under the sun, and the sound of life resuming its peaceful existence echoed around the island once more.

"Paige."

Taking a seat beside her in the sand, Jack turned toward the ocean. His eyes took in the dark, blue waves before him. Water came close to touching his feet. "What are you doing?"

"I like the sound of the ocean."

"It's peaceful." He gazed at her for a long moment. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I know it's only been a week or so, but... I'm okay. I can't see, but I'm okay." She turned toward him. "It's strange, though."

"What is?"

"Being back on the island and knowing that this time we can never leave."

"I know, but things are different now. We'll be okay." He took her hand in his. "We'll be okay."

"I know." She smiled at him. "This is the beginning of the rest of our lives here." She turned toward the ocean. "And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

END.


End file.
